§151. High seas and inland waters demarcation lines

(a) Establishment and purpose

The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall establish appropriate identifiable demarcation lines dividing the high seas from harbors, rivers, and other inland waters of the United States, for the purpose of determining the applicability of special navigational rules in lieu of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.

(b) Applicability of other statutes; limitation; position

The Secretary shall also establish appropriate identifiable lines dividing inland waters of the United States from the high seas for the purpose of determining the applicability of each statute that refers to this section or this section, as amended. These lines may not be located more than twelve nautical miles seaward of the base line from which the territorial sea is measured. These lines may differ in position for the purposes of different statutes.

(c) "United States" defined

For the purposes of this section, the term "United States" includes the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and any other Commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.

(Feb. 19, 1895, ch. 102, §2, 28 Stat. 672 ; Pub. L. 96–324, §1, Aug. 8, 1980, 94 Stat. 1020 ; Pub. L. 96–376, §13, Oct. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 1511 ; Pub. L. 96–591, §9, Dec. 24, 1980, 94 Stat. 3436 .)

References in Text

For the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, referred to in subsec. (a), see International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, set out as a note under section 1602 of this title.

Codification

Section was not enacted as part of act June 7, 1897, ch. 4, 30 Stat. 96 , which comprises a major part of this chapter.

Amendments

1980-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–324 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), substituted provision authorizing the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating to establish demarcation lines for provision authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to establish demarcation lines, and inserted provision specifying the purpose of establishing demarcation lines as determining the applicability of special navigational rules in lieu of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96–324 added subsec. (b).

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 96–591 and Pub. L. 96–376 made identical amendments by striking out reference to the Canal Zone.

Pub. L. 96–324 added subsec. (c).

Termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

For termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, see note set out preceding section 1681 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions.

Territorial Sea of United States

For extension of territorial sea of United States, see Proc. No. 5928, set out as a note under section 1331 of Title 43, Public Lands.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 152, 1203 of this title; title 46 section 2101.