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Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-83

§4712 Inventory of Abandoned Vessels

Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle II— Vessels and Seamen › Part B— Inspection and Regulation of Vessels › Chapter 47— ABANDONMENT OF VESSELS › Subchapter II— NON-BARGE VESSELS › § 4712

Last updated Apr 18, 2026|Official source

Summary

Within 1 year after the date of enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, the Commandant, after consulting the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and relevant State agencies, must create and keep a national inventory of abandoned covered vessels. The list must include information for each vessel, including GIS location data, and be posted on the Coast Guard website. States, Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, or any person may report a vessel for review, and the Commandant will add vessels that meet the abandonment standard in section 4711. The Commandant is not required to remove listed vessels except during a response under section 311(j) of the Clean Water Act or when there is an imminent threat to life or safety.

Full Legal Text

Title 46, §4712

Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, the Commandant, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and relevant State agencies, shall establish and maintain a national inventory of covered vessels that are abandoned.
(b)The inventory established and maintained under subsection (a) shall include data on each vessel, including geographic information system data related to the location of each such vessel.
(c)The Commandant shall make the inventory established under subsection (a) publicly available on a website of the Coast Guard.
(d)In carrying out this section, the Commandant shall develop a process by which—
(1)a State, Indian Tribe, Native Hawaiian organization, or person may report a covered vessel that may be abandoned to the Commandant for potential inclusion in the inventory established under subsection (a);
(2)the Commandant shall review any such report and add such vessel to the inventory if the Commandant determines that the reported vessel is abandoned pursuant to section 4711.
(e)Except in a response action carried out under section 311(j) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1321) or in the case of imminent threat to life and safety, the Commandant shall not be responsible for removing any covered vessels listed on the inventory established and maintained under subsection (a).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, referred to in subsec. (a), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 119–60, which was approved Dec. 18, 2025.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

46 U.S.C. § 4712

Title 46 — Shipping

Last Updated

Apr 18, 2026

Release point: 119-83