Title 46ShippingRelease 119-73

§3314 Expiration of certificate of inspection

Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle II— - Vessels and Seamen › Part Part B— - Inspection and Regulation of Vessels › Chapter CHAPTER 33— - INSPECTION GENERALLY › § 3314

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

If a vessel’s inspection certificate runs out while the ship is on a foreign trip, the ship may finish that trip to a U.S. port within 30 days after the certificate expired without being punished for sailing without a certificate. If the certificate would expire within 15 days of leaving a U.S. port for a foreign trip, the ship must get a new certificate before sailing unless the trip will end before the certificate runs out. If the trip does not finish on time, penalties can apply unless the delay was beyond the control of the owner, charterer, managing operator, agent, master, or person in charge. For foreign passenger ships on a regular route whose certificate expires at sea after leaving their home country or while in the U.S., the Secretary may allow them to keep following their normal schedule without extra inspections, but only if the ship will be inspected and issued a certificate before its next return to the United States.

Full Legal Text

Title 46, §3314

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(a)If the certificate of inspection of a vessel expires when the vessel is on a foreign voyage, the vessel may complete the voyage to a port of the United States within 30 days of the expiration of the certificate without incurring the penalties for operating without a certificate of inspection.
(b)If the certificate of inspection would expire within 15 days of sailing on a foreign voyage from a United States port, the vessel shall secure a new certificate of inspection before sailing, unless the voyage is scheduled to be completed prior to the expiration date of the certificate. If a voyage scheduled to be completed in that time is not so completed, the applicable penalties may be enforced unless the failure to meet the schedule was beyond the control of the owner, charterer, managing operator, agent, master, or individual in charge of the vessel.
(c)When the certificate of inspection of a foreign vessel carrying passengers, operated on a regularly established line, expires at sea after leaving the country to which it belongs or when the vessel is in the United States, the Secretary may permit the vessel to sail on its regular route without further inspection than would have been required had the certificate not expired. This permission applies only when the vessel will be regularly inspected and issued a certificate before the vessel’s next return to the United States.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised sectionSource section (U.S. Code) 331446:36246:399 section 3314 contains the procedures for when a vessel’s certificate of inspection expires while on a foreign voyage.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Apr. 15, 1984, see section 2(g)(1) of Pub. L. 98–89, set out as a note under section 3101 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

46 U.S.C. § 3314

Title 46Shipping

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73