§558 Donation of forfeited vessels

Summary

Federal agencies may donate vessels forfeited to the United States to qualifying schools that run commercial fishing vessel safety programs or similar vessel safety, education, and training programs, following the rules in this subtitle. The school must certify its program includes at least these courses: vessel stability, firefighting, shipboard first aid, marine safety and survival, and seamanship rules of the road. Donations come with required conditions: the school must accept the vessel in its current condition and location with no warranty; it must maintain the vessel; use it only for teaching students in the safety program; if the vessel can be documented, the school must register it as a United States vessel under chapter 121 of title 46 and record the disposal restriction on the vessel’s permanent record; the school must get prior approval from the Administrator of General Services before disposing of the vessel, and any sale proceeds go to the Government; and the vessel will be inspected or regulated like a nautical school vessel under chapter 33 of title 46. The Government is not liable for claims that come from the transfer or use of a donated vessel.