And "A vessel eligible to engage in the coastwise trade and later rebuilt outside the United States may not thereafter engage in the coastwise trade." https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/12132

Both citations seem equally relevant to the article.

If you think your legal citation is meaningful, then I'll point out that 1) the described (and alleged) retaliatory behavior are not listed as any of the punishments in the text you quoted, 2) punishment without being able to challenge the punishment is an abuse of power, and 3) why aren't the lawyers and activists simply arrested for breaking the law?