Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-73
§11302 Manner of making entries
Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle II— - Vessels and Seamen › Part Part G— - Merchant Seamen Protection and Relief › Chapter CHAPTER 113— - OFFICIAL LOGBOOKS › § 11302
Summary
Make each entry in the ship’s official log as soon as you can after the event. If you write it after the day it happened, put the event’s date in the entry. If the event happened before the ship reached its final port of discharge, make the entry within 24 hours after arrival. The master (captain) must sign each entry, and the chief mate or another seaman must also sign.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §11302
Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Each entry made in the official logbook—
(1)shall be made as soon as possible after the occurrence;
(2)if not made on the day of the occurrence, shall be dated and state the date of the occurrence;
(3)if the entry is about an occurrence happening before the vessel’s arrival at the final port of discharge, shall be made not later than 24 hours after the arrival;
(4)shall be signed by the master; and
(5)shall be signed by the chief mate or another seaman.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised sectionSource section (U.S. Code) 1130246:202 section 11302 describes the manner in which entries shall be made in the logbook, specifying when they shall be made, who shall sign them, and requiring that they shall be dated.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 11302
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73