COASTWISE TRADE AUTHORIZATION.

SEC. 213. COASTWISE TRADE AUTHORIZATION. (a) In General.—Notwithstanding section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 (46 App. U.S.C. 883), or any other provision of law restricting the operation of a foreign-built vessel in the coastwise trade of the United States, the following vessels may, subject to subsection (b), engage in the coastwise trade of the United States to transport platform jackets from ports in the Gulf of Mexico to sites on the Outer Continental Shelf for completion of certain offshore projects as follows: (1) The H-114, H-627, 1-650, and H-851 for the projects known as Atlantis, Thunderhorse, Holstein, and Mad Dog. (2) The I-600 for the projects known as Murphy Medusa, Dominion Devil’s Tower, and Murphy Front Runner. (b) Priority for U.S.-Built Vessels.—Subsection (a) shall not apply in instances where a United States-built, United States-documented vessel with the capacity to transport and launch the platform jacket involved or its components is available to transport that jacket or its components. In this section, the term “platform jacket” has the meaning given that term under the thirteenth proviso of section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 (46 App. U.S.C. 883), as amended by subsection (c) of this section. 116 STAT. 2100 (c) Definition.—The thirteenth proviso (pertaining to transportation by launch barge) of section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 (46 App. U.S.C. 883), is amended by striking the period at the end and inserting the following: and for the purposes of this proviso, the term ‘platform jacket’ includes any type of offshore drilling or production structure or components, including platform jackets, tension leg or SPAR platform superstructures (including the deck, drilling rig and support utilities, and supporting structure) hull (including vertical legs and connecting pontoons or vertical cylinder), tower and base sections of a platform jacket, jacket structures, and deck modules (known as ‘topsides’) of a hydrocarbon development and production platform.”.