§57109. Operation of vessels purchased, chartered, or leased from Secretary of Transportation

Unless otherwise authorized by the Secretary of Transportation, a vessel purchased, chartered, or leased from the Secretary may be operated only under a certificate of documentation with a registry or coastwise endorsement. Such a vessel, while employed solely as a merchant vessel, is subject to the laws, regulations, and liabilities governing merchant vessels, whether the United States Government has an interest in the vessel as an owner or holds a mortgage, lien, or other interest.

( Pub. L. 109–304, §8(c), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1661 .)

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised Section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
57109	46 App.:808(b).	Sept. 7, 1916, ch. 451, §9(b), 39 Stat. 730 ; July 15, 1918, ch. 152, §3, 40 Stat. 900 ; restated June 5, 1920, ch. 250, §18, 41 Stat. 994 ; Ex. Ord. No. 6166, §12, eff. June 10, 1933; June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title II, §204, title IX, §904, 49 Stat. 1987 , 2016; Pub. L. 97–31, §12(26), Aug. 6, 1981, 95 Stat. 155 ; Pub. L. 100–710, title I, §104(b)(2), Nov. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 4750 .

The words "only under a certificate of documentation with a registry or coastwise endorsement" are substituted for "only under such registry or enrollment and license" for clarity and to use the appropriate current language.