Section, as added and amended by section 3504(a) of Pub. L. 115–91, is based on act Aug. 9, 1954, ch. 659, § 1, 68 Stat. 675; Pub. L. 96–70, title III, § 3302(c), Sept. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 498; Pub. L. 97–31, § 12(152), Aug. 6, 1981, 95 Stat. 167, which was formerly classified to section 196 of Title 50, War and National Defense, before being transferred to this chapter and renumbered as this section.

2017—Pub. L. 115–91, § 3504(a)(2), inserted section enumerator and catchline and, in text, substituted “this chapter” for “section 902 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended” in two places and “section 56305” for “the second paragraph of subsection (d) of such section 902, as amended”.

Pub. L. 115–91, § 3504(a)(1), transferred section 1 of act Aug. 9, 1954, to this chapter and renumbered it as this section. See Codification note above.

Pub. L. 115–91, div. C, title XXXV, § 3504(f), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1913, provided that: “Any reference in a law, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to a section that is redesignated and transferred by this section [sections 1 to 3 of act Aug. 9, 1954, former 50 U.S.C. 196 to 198] is deemed to refer to such section as so redesignated and transferred [now 46 U.S.C. 56309 to 56311].”