48 U.S.C. § 744
Section 744 · Coasting trade laws
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 3 court decisions — leading case Guerrido v. Alcoa Steamship Co. (1956)
Most recently applied in 637 F. Supp. 2d 1266 - Puerto Rico Towing & Barge Co. v. United States (August 2009)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
The coasting trade between Puerto Rico and the United States shall be regulated in accordance with the provisions of law applicable to such trade between any two great coasting districts of the United States.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Codification
Additional provisions of section 9 of act Apr. 12, 1900, authorizing the making of regulations for the nationalization of all vessels owned by inhabitants of Puerto Rico on April 11, 1889, and which continued to be so owned up to the date of that nationalization and for the admission of the same to all the benefits of the coasting trade of the United States, have been omitted.
Section was not enacted as part of the Puerto Rican Federal Relations Act which comprises this chapter.
Change of Name
“Puerto Rico” substituted in text for “Porto Rico” pursuant to act May 17, 1932, which is classified to section 731a of this title.