Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle V— - Merchant Marine › Part Part F— - Government-Owned Merchant Vessels › Chapter CHAPTER 571— - GENERAL AUTHORITY › § 57112
To buy a covered vessel from the federal government, a person must prove three things. They must show liability insurance for the vessel operator, have enough money to pay for the vessel’s upkeep, and if the boat needs official documentation under chapter 121, provide an admiralty bond or similar guarantee. A "covered vessel" means one of the following: a government-owned boat transferred under this part and section 548 of title 40; a boat seized or forfeited under any law and auctioned by the Federal Government, including seizures under sections 7301 or 7302 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or a fishing boat seized or forfeited under section 310 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1860).
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Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
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Citation
46 U.S.C. § 57112
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73