Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-73
§12107 Wrecked vessels
Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle II— - Vessels and Seamen › Part Part H— - Identification of Vessels › Chapter CHAPTER 121— - DOCUMENTATION OF VESSELS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - GENERAL › § 12107
Summary
A vessel counts as a wrecked vessel if it was damaged on a U.S. coast or nearby waters and then had repairs in a U.S. shipyard costing at least three times its appraised salvage value. The Secretary can pick three appraisers to decide if that three‑times test is met, and the vessel owner must pay for the appraisal.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §12107
Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)A vessel is a wrecked vessel under this chapter if it—
(1)was wrecked on a coast of the United States or adjacent waters; and
(2)has undergone repairs in a shipyard in the United States equal to at least 3 times the appraised salvage value of the vessel.
(b)The Secretary may appoint a board of three appraisers to determine whether a vessel satisfies subsection (a)(2). The costs of the appraisal shall be paid by the owner of the vessel.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 1210746 App.:14 (words before last proviso).R.S. § 4136 (words before last proviso); Feb. 24, 1915, ch. 57, 38 Stat. 812; Pub. L. 103–182, title VI, § 686(a)(4), Dec. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 2220. The words “The Secretary of Transportation may issue a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement” and “when purchased by a citizen or citizens of the United States” are omitted as unnecessary because section 12112, as revised by the bill, provides the requirements for a wrecked vessel to obtain a coastwise endorsement. In subsection (c)(1), the words “or her possessions” are omitted as unnecessary because of the definition of “United States” in chapter 1 of the revised title.
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
A prior section 12107, Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 587; Pub. L. 100–239, § 6(a)(4), (5), Jan. 11, 1988, 101 Stat. 1782; Pub. L. 101–225, title III, § 301(a)(7), Dec. 12, 1989, 103 Stat. 1921, originally derived from section 65j of former Title 46, Shipping, related to Great Lakes endorsements, prior to being repealed by Pub. L. 104–324, title XI, § 1115(a), Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3972. A prior section 12108, Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 587; Pub. L. 98–454, title III, § 301(c), Oct. 5, 1984, 98 Stat. 1734; Pub. L. 100–239, §§ 3(4), (5), 6(a)(6), Jan. 11, 1988, 101 Stat. 1779, 1782; Pub. L. 101–225, title III, § 301(a)(8), Dec. 12, 1989, 103 Stat. 1921; Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(a) [title II, § 211(b)], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009, 3009–41; Pub. L. 104–324, title III, § 301(e), title VII, § 744, Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3917, 3942; Pub. L. 107–295, title IV, § 409, Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2117, originally derived from section 65k of former Title 46, Shipping, related to fishery endorsements, prior to being omitted in the general amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 109–304. See section 12102, 12113, and 12116 of this title. A prior section 12109, Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 587; Pub. L. 99–36, § 1(a)(7)(C),
May 15, 1985, 99 Stat. 67; Pub. L. 99–570, title III, § 3151, Oct. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 3207–94; Pub. L. 100–710, title I, § 106(b)(5), Nov. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 4752; Pub. L. 101–225, title III, § 301(a)(9), Dec. 12, 1989, 103 Stat. 1921; Pub. L. 101–595, title VI, § 603(9), Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 2993, originally derived from section 65l of former Title 46, Shipping, related to recreational endorsements, prior to being omitted in the general amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 109–304. See section 12114 of this title. A prior section 12110, Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 588; Pub. L. 99–36, § 1(a)(7)(D),
May 15, 1985, 99 Stat. 67; Pub. L. 100–710, title I, § 104(a)(4), Nov. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 4750; Pub. L. 101–225, title III, § 301(a)(10), Dec. 12, 1989, 103 Stat. 1922; Pub. L. 102–388, title III, § 348(b), Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1554; Pub. L. 102–587, title V, § 5213(a)(2), Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 5077; Pub. L. 104–324, title III, § 301(c), (d)(1), Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3916; Pub. L. 108–293, title IV, § 404(a), Aug. 9, 2004, 118 Stat. 1043, originally derived from section 65m of former Title 46, Shipping, related to limitations on operations authorized by certificates, prior to being omitted in the general amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 109–304. See section 12102, 12114, and 12131 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 12107
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73