Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-73
§57109 Operation of vessels purchased, chartered, or leased from Secretary of Transportation
Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle V— - Merchant Marine › Part Part F— - Government-Owned Merchant Vessels › Chapter CHAPTER 571— - GENERAL AUTHORITY › § 57109
Summary
Vessels from the Secretary must have registry/coastwise documentation unless the Secretary allows otherwise; when used as merchant vessels, they follow merchant laws and liabilities even if U.S. has an interest.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §57109
Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Unless otherwise authorized by the Secretary of Transportation, a vessel purchased, chartered, or leased from the Secretary may be operated only under a certificate of documentation with a registry or coastwise endorsement. Such a vessel, while employed solely as a merchant vessel, is subject to the laws, regulations, and liabilities governing merchant vessels, whether the United States Government has an interest in the vessel as an owner or holds a mortgage, lien, or other interest.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 5710946 App.:808(b).Sept. 7, 1916, ch. 451, § 9(b), 39 Stat. 730; July 15, 1918, ch. 152, § 3, 40 Stat. 900; restated June 5, 1920, ch. 250, § 18, 41 Stat. 994; Ex. Ord. No. 6166, § 12, eff. June 10, 1933; June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title II, § 204, title IX, § 904, 49 Stat. 1987, 2016; Pub. L. 97–31, § 12(26), Aug. 6, 1981, 95 Stat. 155; Pub. L. 100–710, title I, § 104(b)(2), Nov. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 4750. The words “only under a certificate of documentation with a registry or coastwise endorsement” are substituted for “only under such registry or enrollment and license” for clarity and to use the appropriate current language.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 57109
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73