§53108 Regulatory Relief

Summary

Vessels covered by an operating agreement may operate in U.S. foreign commerce without restriction. The limits in section 55305(a) on building, rebuilding, or documenting a vessel in another country do not apply on any day the vessel’s operator is receiving payments under that agreement. If an existing vessel is re‑documented in the United States to run under such an agreement, its telecommunications and electronic equipment will count as meeting Federal Communications Commission certification only if it complied with the prior country’s applicable international rules, that country has not been identified by the Secretary as inadequately enforcing those rules for the vessel, and the equipment will be replaced at the end of its useful life with equipment that meets FCC standards.