Title 46, ShippingRelease 119-110
§80101 Vessel Stranded on Foreign Coast
Title 46 › Subtitle VIII — Miscellaneous › CHAPTER 801 — WRECKS AND SALVAGE › § 80101
Summary
A U.S. consular officer in a foreign country must, if local law allows, try to save a stranded U.S. ship and its belongings and make a list of what was saved. After paying any costs, the officer must give the saved items and the list to the owner, and must not take control of the property if the owner, the ship’s master (captain), or the consignee is present or able to take it.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §80101
Shipping, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Duties of Consular Officer.—
When a vessel of the United States is stranded on a coast of a foreign country, the consular officer in that country shall take proper measures, to the extent the laws of that country allow, to—
(1)save and secure the vessel and property on the vessel; and
(2)prepare an inventory of the property that is saved.
(b)Delivery to Owner.—
After deducting the expenses, the consular officer shall deliver the property, with an inventory, to the owner of the property.
(c)Limitation on Taking Possession.—
A consular officer may not take possession of property under this section when the owner, master, or consignee is present or able to take possession of the property.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 8010146 App.:721.R.S. § 4238. In this section, the words “consular officer” are substituted for “Consuls and vice consuls” and “consul or vice consul” for consistency in the revised title. Subsection (a)(1) is substituted for “as well for the purpose of saving the vessels, their cargoes and appurtenances, as for storing and securing the effects and merchandise saved” to eliminate unnecessary words.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 80101
Title 46, Shipping
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110