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46 U.S.C. § 12503 — Information available to the system

Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities

46 U.S.C. § 12503 — Information available to the system

**(a)** Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, a State or a State’s delegate approved by the Secretary of Transportation may make information available to the Secretary if, in a manner and form prescribed by the Secretary, the State— (1) identifies the vessel; (2) identifies the owner of the vessel, including by— (A) the owner’s social security number or, if that number is not available, other means of identification acceptable to the Secretary; or (B) for an owner other than an individual— (i) the owner’s taxpayer identification number; or (ii) if the owner does not have a taxpayer identification number, the social security number of an individual who is a corporate officer, general partner, or individual trustee of the owner and who signed the application for documentation or numbering for the vessel; (3) identifies the State in which it is titled or numbered; (4) indicates whether the vessel is numbered or titled, or both; (5) if titled in a State, indicates where evidence of a lien or other security interest may be found against the vessel in that State; (6) includes information to assist law enforcement; and (7) includes other information agreed to by the Secretary and the State. **(b)** Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the Secretary also may accept information under conditions and in a manner and form prescribed by the Secretary. **(c)** The Secretary shall— (1) retain information on a vessel with a preferred mortgage under [section 31322(d) of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title46-section31322/d&num=0&edition=prelim) that is no longer titled in a State making information available to the Secretary under this chapter until the mortgage is discharged or

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Source file: Laws/federal/codes/united-states-code/title-46/section-12503-information-available-to-the-system--7258a57860.md
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Source location: Title 46, Chapter 125, § 12503; chapter-125-vessel-identification-system.md

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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities

46 U.S.C. § 31321 — Filing, recording, and discharge

**(a)** (1) A bill of sale, conveyance, mortgage, assignment, or related instrument, whenever made, that includes any part of a documented vessel or a vessel for which an application for documentation is filed, must be filed with the Secretary to be valid, to the extent the vessel is involved, against any person except— (A) the grantor, mortgagor, or assignor; (B) the heir or devisee of the grantor, mortgagor, or assignor; and (C) a person having actual notice of the sale, conveyance, mortgage, assignment, or related instrument. (2) Each bill of sale, conveyance, mortgage, assignment, or related instrument that is filed in substantial compliance with this section is valid against any person from the time it is filed with the Secretary. (3) The parties to an instrument or an application for documentation shall use diligence to ensure that the parts of the instrument or application for which they are responsible are in substantial compliance with the filing and documentation requirements. (4) A bill of sale, conveyance, mortgage, assignment, or related instrument may be filed electronically under regulations prescribed by the Secretary. **(b)** To be filed, a bill of sale, conveyance, mortgage, assignment, or related instrument must— (1) identify the vessel; (2) state the name and address of each party to the instrument; (3) state, if a mortgage, the amount of the direct or contingent obligations (in one or more units of account as agreed to by the parties) that is or may become secured by the mortgage, excluding interest, expenses, and fees; (4) state the interest of the grantor, mortgagor, or assignor in the vessel; (5) state the interest sold, conveyed, mortgaged, or assigned; and (6) be signed and acknowledged. **(c)** If a bill of sale, conveyanc

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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities

46 U.S.C. § 31301 — Definitions

In this chapter— (1) “acknowledge” means making— (A) an acknowledgment or notarization before a notary public or other official authorized by a law of the United States or a State to take acknowledgments of deeds; or (B) a certificate issued under the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, 1961; (2) “district court” means— (A) a district court of the United States (as defined in [section 451 of title 28](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title28-section451&num=0&edition=prelim)); (B) the District Court of Guam; (C) the District Court of the Virgin Islands; (D) the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands; (E) the High Court of American Samoa; and (F) any other court of original jurisdiction of a territory or possession of the United States; (3) “mortgagee” means— (A) a person to whom property is mortgaged; or (B) when a mortgage on a vessel involves a trust, the trustee that is designated in the trust agreement; (4) “necessaries” includes repairs, supplies, towage, and the use of a dry dock or marine railway; (5) “preferred maritime lien” means a maritime lien on a vessel— (A) arising before a preferred mortgage was filed under [section 31321 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title46-section31321&num=0&edition=prelim); (B) for damage arising out of maritime tort; (C) for wages of a stevedore when employed directly by a person listed in [section 31341 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title46-section31341&num=0&edition=prelim); (D) for wages of the crew of the vessel; (E) for general average; or (F) for salvage, including contract salvage; (6) “preferr

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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities

46 U.S.C. § 12501 — Establishment of a vessel identification system

**(a)** The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a vessel identification system to make available information under [section 12503 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title46-section12503&num=0&edition=prelim) for use by the public for law enforcement and other purposes relating to— (1) the ownership of documented vessels; (2) the ownership of vessels numbered under chapter 123 of this title; and (3) the ownership of vessels titled under the law of a State. **(b)** The vessel identification system shall include information prescribed by the Secretary including— (1) identifying a vessel; (2) identifying the owner of the vessel, including— (A) the owner’s social security number or, if that number is not available, other means of identification acceptable to the Secretary; or (B) for an owner other than an individual— (i) the owner’s taxpayer identification number; or (ii) if the owner does not have a taxpayer identification number, the social security number of an individual who is a corporate officer, general partner, or individual trustee of the owner and who signed the application for documentation or numbering for the vessel; (3) identifying the State in which it is titled or numbered; (4) indicating whether the vessel is numbered or titled, or both; (5) if titled in a State, indicating where evidence of a lien or other security interest may be found against the vessel in that State; and (6) information assisting law enforcement officials. **(c)** The Secretary may maintain information under this chapter in connection with any other information system maintained by the Secretary.

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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities

46 U.S.C. § 12503 — Information available to the system

Page 226 TITLE 46—SHIPPING § 12503 HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES Revised section 12502 Subsection (a) of this section requires the Secretary to maintain a unique numbering system for vessels of the United States. The Secretary may use existing ves- sel numbering systems such as the hull identification number for this purpose, but must ensure that no two existing vessels of the United States have the same number. The Secretary should consider and propose the use of a 17-digit number to implement this require- ment. This subsection also requires the Secretary to maintain a system of signal letters and to record vessel names for documented vessels. The Secretary is author- ized to establish other vessel identification markings for vessels of the United States, such as hailing ports. Subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e) contain other require- ments and restrictions concerning vessel identification markings. This section consolidates the requirements of sec- tions 12114, 12115, 12116, and 12118 of title 46. For this reason, section 106 of this bill repeals those sections. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective Jan. 1, 1989, with certain exceptions and qualifications, see section 107 of Pub. L. 100–710, set out as a note under section 31301 of this title. VESSELS NOT HAVING UNIQUE NUMBER; APPLICABILITY OF PROVISIONS FOR NUMBER ASSIGNMENT Pub. L. 100–710, title I, § 104(f), Nov. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 4751, provided that: ‘‘Section 12502(a)(1) of title 46, United States Code (as enacted by section 101 of this Act), applies to a vessel of the United States that does not have a unique number as prescribed by the Sec- retary of Transportation under that section until the earlier of the following: ‘‘(1) the next time the vess

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