§70508 Operation of Submersible Vessel or Semi-submersible Vessel Without Nationality

Summary

You must not operate or ride in a submersible or semi‑submersible boat that has no nationality and that is traveling into, through, or from waters beyond a country’s territorial sea with the intent to avoid being seen or caught. In civil enforcement cases, certain signs listed elsewhere in the law can be used as initial proof that someone meant to evade detection. You can avoid a penalty if, at the time, the vessel was a U.S. vessel or lawfully registered in another country when claimed to a U.S. enforcement officer; or it was classed and built under a classification society’s rules (an organization that inspects and certifies ships); or it was legally operating under government license or regulation for commerce, research, or exploration; or it had and was using a working automatic identification system (AIS), vessel monitoring system (VMS), or long range identification and tracking (LRIT) system. Providing government documents of nationality (per Article 5 of the 1958 High Seas Convention), a valid classification certificate, or government licenses or registrations proves those defenses. A violation can bring a civil penalty of up to $1,000,000.