§ 1241f. Shipment requirements for certain exports sponsored by Department of Agriculture
(a)
Minimum requirement respecting gross tonnage transported in United States-flag commercial vessels; implementation
(1)
In addition to the requirement for United States-flag carriage of a percentage of gross tonnage imposed by section
1241
(b)(1) of this Appendix, 25 percent of the gross tonnage of agricultural commodities or the products thereof specified in subsection (b) of this section shall be transported on United States-flag commercial vessels.
(2)
In order to achieve an orderly and efficient implementation of the requirement of paragraph (1)—
(A)
an additional quantity equal to 10 percent of the gross tonnage referred to in paragraph (1) shall be transported in United States-flag vessels in calendar year 1986;
(b)
Covered export activity
This section shall apply to any export activity of the Commodity Credit Corporation or the Secretary of Agriculture—
(1)
carried out under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.);
(4)
under which agricultural commodities or the products thereof are—
(5)
under which agricultural commodities or the products thereof are made available for emergency food relief at less than prevailing world market prices;
(6)
under which a cash grant is made directly or through an intermediary to a foreign purchaser for the purpose of enabling the purchaser to obtain United States agricultural commodities or the products thereof in an amount greater than the difference between the prevailing world market price and the United States market price, free along side vessel at United States port; or
(c)
Terms and conditions
(1)
The requirement for United States-flag transportation imposed by subsection (a) of this section shall be subject to the same terms and conditions as provided in section
1241
(b) of this Appendix.
(2)
In order to provide for effective and equitable administration of the cargo preference laws the calendar year for the purpose of compliance with minimum percentage requirements shall be for 12 month periods commencing April 1, 1986, the 18-month period beginning April 1, 2002, and the 12-month period beginning October 1, 2003, and each year thereafter.
(3)
(A)
Subject to subparagraph (B), in administering sections
1241
(b) and
1241f of this Appendix, and, subject to subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, consistent with those sections, the Commodity Credit Corporation shall take such steps as may be necessary and practicable without detriment to any port range to allocate, on the principle of lowest landed cost without regard to the country of documentation of the vessel, 25 percent of the bagged, processed, or fortified commodities furnished pursuant to title II of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 [7 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.].
(B)
In carrying out this paragraph, there shall first be calculated the allocation of 100 percent of the quantity to be procured on an overall lowest landed cost basis without regard to the country of documentation of the vessel and there shall be allocated to the Great Lakes port range any cargoes for which it has the lowest landed cost under that calculation. The requirements for United States-flag transportation under section
1241
(b) of this Appendix and this section shall not apply to commodities allocated under subparagraph (A) to the Great Lakes port range, and commodities allocated under subparagraph (A) to that port range may not be reallocated or diverted to another port range to meet those requirements to the extent that the total tonnage of commodities to which subparagraph (A) applies that is furnished and transported from the Great Lakes port range is less than 25 percent of the total annual tonnage of such commodities furnished.
(C)
In awarding any contract for the transportation by vessel of commodities from the Great Lakes port range pursuant to an export activity referred to in subsection (b) of this section, each agency or instrumentality—
(i)
shall consider expressions of freight interest for any vessel from a vessel operator who meets reasonable requirements for financial and operational integrity; and
(ii)
may not deny award of the contract to a person based on the type of vessel on which the transportation would be provided (including on the basis that the transportation would not be provided on a liner vessel (as that term is used in the Shipping Act of 1984 [46 App. U.S.C. 1701 et seq.], as in effect on November 14, 1995)), if the person otherwise satisfies reasonable requirements for financial and operational integrity.
(d)
“Export activity” defined
As used in subsection (b) of this section, the term “export activity” does not include inspection or weighing activities, other activities carried out for health or safety purposes, or technical assistance provided in the handling of commercial transactions.
(e)
Prevailing world market price
(1)
The prevailing world market price as to agricultural commodities or the products thereof shall be determined under sections
1241e through
1241h of this Appendix in accordance with procedures established by the Secretary of Agriculture. The Secretary shall prescribe such procedures by regulation, with notice and opportunity for public comment, pursuant to section
553 of title
5.
(2)
In the event that a determination of the prevailing world market price of any other type of materials, goods, equipment, or service is required in order to determine whether a barter or exchange transaction is subject to subsection (b)(6) or (b)(7) of this section, such determination shall be made by the Secretary of Agriculture in consultation with the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies.