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Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-73not60

§51705 Training for Use of Force Against Piracy

Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle V— Merchant Marine › Part B— Merchant Marine Service › Chapter 517— OTHER SUPPORT FOR MERCHANT MARINE TRAINING › § 51705

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of Transportation must approve a training program for U.S. mariners on using force against pirates, after talking with the Secretary of Defense and the head of the department that runs the Coast Guard. The training must teach where the Coast Guard has named high‑risk waters, current pirate threats and attack patterns, how to defend a vessel and how security equipment works and its limits, the standard self‑defense use‑of‑force rules created under section 912(c) of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–281; 46 U.S.C. 8107 note) including firearm safety for crews on cargo vessels under section 55305, and steps crew should take to improve survival if taken hostage.

Full Legal Text

Title 46, §51705

Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, shall certify a training curriculum for United States mariners on the use of force against pirates. The curriculum shall include—
(1)information on waters designated as high-risk waters by the Commandant of the Coast Guard;
(2)information on current threats and patterns of attack by pirates;
(3)tactics for defense of a vessel, including instruction on the types, use, and limitations of security equipment;
(4)standard rules for the use of force for self-defense as developed by the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating under section 912(c) of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–281; 46 U.S.C. 8107 note), including instruction on firearm safety for crewmembers of vessels carrying cargo under section 55305 of this title; and
(5)procedures to follow to improve crewmember survivability if captured and taken hostage by pirates.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Deadline Pub. L. 112–213, title V, § 502(b), Dec. 20, 2012, 126 Stat. 1575, provided that: “The Secretary of Transportation shall certify the curriculum required under the amendment made by subsection (a) [enacting this section] not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 2012].”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

46 U.S.C. § 51705

Title 46 — Shipping

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60