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46 U.S.C. 57109: Operation of vessels purchased, chartered, or leased from Secretary of TransportationText contains those laws in effect through Public Law 119-120 (October 7, 2026).
From Title 46-SHIPPINGCHAPTER 571-GENERAL AUTHORITY

§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.