1625-0078 Stat/Authority

§ 7316

TITLE 46—SHIPPING

tuted for the service requirements under section
7307 or 7314 of this title.
(b) The satisfactory completion of other courses
of instruction approved by the Secretary may be
substituted for not more than one-third of the required service on deck at sea under sections 7307–7311
of this title.
(c) The satisfactory completion of other courses
of instruction approved by the Secretary may be
substituted for not more than one-half of the required service at sea under section 7314 of this
title.
(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 544.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised section

Source section (U.S. Code)

7315 ..................................... 46:672(c)

Section 7315 specifies the training or course work that
may be substituted for service requirements for an endorsement as an able seaman or a qualified member of
the engine department.

§ 7316. Lifeboatmen
To qualify for an endorsement as lifeboatman,
an applicant must provide satisfactory proof that
the applicant—
(1) has the service or training required by
regulation;
(2) is qualified professionally as demonstrated
by examination; and
(3) is qualified professionally by actual demonstration.
(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 544.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised section

Source section (U.S. Code)

7316 ..................................... 46:643(l)

Section 7316 establishes the minimum standards an individual must meet in order to qualify for an endorsement as lifeboatman.

§ 7317. Tankermen
(a) The Secretary shall prescribe procedures,
standards, and qualifications for the issuance of
certificates or endorsements as tankerman, stating the types of oil or hazardous material that
can be handled with safety to the vessel and the
marine environment.
(b) An endorsement as tankerman shall indicate the grades or types of cargo the holder is
qualified and authorized to handle with safety on
board vessels.
(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 545.)

telegraph operator’s license issued by the Federal
Communications Commission.
(b) An endorsement as radiotelegraph operator
on the Great Lakes only ends if the holder ceases
to hold the license issued by the Commission.
(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 545.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised section

Section 7318 specifies that radiotelegraph operators on
the Great Lakes shall have a first-class or second-class
radiotelegraph operator’s license issued by the FCC and
need not be licensed as a radio operator by the Coast
Guard. However, an endorsement as radio telegraph operator has to be noted on his merchant mariners’ document. If the holder ceases to have a valid FCC license,
then the endorsement is terminated automatically without recourse to suspension and revocation proceedings.

§ 7319. Records of merchant mariners’ documents
The Secretary shall maintain records on each
merchant mariner’s document issued, including the
name and address of the seaman to whom issued
and the next of kin of the seaman.
(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 545; Pub. L.
108–293, title IV, § 403, Aug. 9, 2004, 118 Stat. 1043.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised section

Section 7319 requires the Secretary to maintain records
on each merchant mariner’s document issued and the
seaman’s next of kin. However, these records are not
open for general or public inspection.
Amendments
2004—Pub. L. 108–293 struck out at end “The records
are not open to general or public inspection.”

CHAPTER 75—GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR
LICENSING, CERTIFICATION, AND DOCUMENTATION
Sec.

7501.
7502.
7503.
7504.
7505.
7506.
7507.

7508.

Section 7317(a) establishes the minimum standards an
individual must meet in order to qualify for an endorsement as tankerman for various types of oil or hazardous
substances.
Subsection (b) specifies that the tankerman’s endorsement must specify the grades or types of cargo the holder is qualified and allowed to handle.

§ 7318. Radiotelegraph operators on Great Lakes
(a) A radiotelegraph operator on the Great Lakes
only shall have a first-class or second-class radio-

Source section (U.S. Code)

7319 ..................................... 46:643(f)

Source section (U.S. Code)

7317(a) ................................. 46:391a(10)(C)

Source section (U.S. Code)

7318 ..................................... 46:229c
46:229g
46:643(a)

Historical and Revision Notes
Revised section

Page 578

7509.
7510.

Duplicates.
Records.
Dangerous drugs as grounds for denial.
Travel and expense reimbursement.
Review of information in National Driver Register.
Convention tonnage for licenses, certificates,
and documents.
Authority to extend the duration of licenses,
certificates of registry, and merchant mariner documents.
Authority to extend the duration of medical
certificates.
Medical certification by trusted agents.
Examinations for merchant mariner credentials.
Amendments

2016—Pub. L. 114–120, title III, §§ 309(c), 315(a)(2), Feb. 8,
2016, 130 Stat. 57, 62, added items 7509 and 7510.
2012—Pub. L. 112–213, title III, § 306(b), Dec. 20, 2012, 126
Stat. 1565, added item 7508.
2010—Pub. L. 111–281, title VI, § 615(b), Oct. 15, 2010, 124
Stat. 2972, added item 7507.
1996—Pub. L. 104–324, title VII, § 745(b), Oct. 19, 1996, 110
Stat. 3943, added item 7506.

Page 579

§ 7503

TITLE 46—SHIPPING

1990—Pub. L. 101–380, title IV, § 4105(c), Aug. 18, 1990,
104 Stat. 513, added item 7505.
1986—Pub. L. 99–640, § 10(b)(2)(B), Nov. 10, 1986, 100 Stat.
3550, added item 7504.

§ 7501. Duplicates
(a) If a license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariner’s document issued under this part
is lost as a result of a marine casualty, the holder
shall be supplied with a duplicate without cost.
(b) For any other loss, the seaman may obtain a
duplicate on payment of reasonable costs prescribed
by regulation by the Secretary.
(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 545; Pub. L.
99–36, § 1(a)(9)(C), May 15, 1985, 99 Stat. 68.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised section

Source section (U.S. Code)

7501 ..................................... 46:643(h)

Section 7501(a) provides that if a license, certificate or
document issued to an individual is lost due to a marine
casualty, the individual will be supplied with a duplicate
without cost.
Subsection (b) provides that if a license, certificate or
document is lost for any reason other than a marine casualty, the seaman must pay a reasonable cost for the replacement.

Amendments
Pub. L. 111–281 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), substituted “records, including electronic records,”
for “computerized records”, and added subsecs. (b) and
(c).
1990—Pub. L. 101–380 substituted “maintain computerized records” for “maintain records”.
Effective Date of 1990 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 101–380 applicable to incidents
occurring after Aug. 18, 1990, see section 1020 of Pub. L.
101–380, set out as an Effective Date note under section
2701 of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters.
Electronic Records on Mariner Availability To
Meet National Security Needs
Pub. L. 115–232, div. C, title XXXV, § 3510, Aug. 13, 2018,
132 Stat. 2310, provided that: “The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall
ensure that electronic records maintained under section
7502 of title 46, United States Code, are able to be used by
the Secretary of Transportation—
“(1) to determine the potential availability of mariners credentialed under part E of subtitle II of title 46,
United States Code, to meet national security sealift
needs; and
“(2) to receive information on the qualification of
such mariners.”

§ 7503. Dangerous drugs as grounds for denial
Amendments
1985—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99–36 substituted “certificate
of registry, or merchant mariner’s document” for “certificate, or document”.

§ 7502. Records
(a) The Secretary shall maintain records, including electronic records, on the issuances, denials, suspensions, and revocations of licenses, certificates of registry, merchant mariners’ documents,
and endorsements on those licenses, certificates,
and documents.
(b) The Secretary may prescribe regulations requiring a vessel owner or managing operator of a
commercial vessel, or the employer of a seaman
on that vessel, to maintain records of each individual engaged on the vessel subject to inspection
under chapter 33 on matters of engagement, discharge, and service for not less than 5 years after
the date of the completion of the service of that
individual on the vessel. The regulations may require that a vessel owner, managing operator, or
employer shall make these records available to
the individual and the Coast Guard on request.
(c) A person violating this section, or a regulation prescribed under this section, is liable to the
United States Government for a civil penalty of
not more than $5,000.
(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 545; Pub. L.
101–380, title IV, § 4114(e), Aug. 18, 1990, 104 Stat.
517; Pub. L. 111–281, title VI, § 605, Oct. 15, 2010, 124
Stat. 2967.)

A license, certificate of registry, or merchant
mariner’s document authorized to be issued under
this part may be denied to an individual who—
(1) within 10 years before applying for the license, certificate, or document, has been convicted of violating a dangerous drug law of the
United States or of a State; or
(2) when applying, has ever been a user of, or
addicted to, a dangerous drug unless the individual provides satisfactory proof that the individual is cured.
(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 545; Pub. L.
99–36, § 1(a)(9)(D), May 15, 1985, 99 Stat. 68; Pub. L.
101–380, title IV, § 4103(a)(2)(B), Aug. 18, 1990, 104
Stat. 511; Pub. L. 115–232, div. C, title XXXV, § 3545(a),
Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2326.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised section

Source section (U.S. Code)

7503(a) ................................. 46:239a(a)
46:239b(a)

Section 7503 provides that the issuance of a license,
certificate, or document may be denied by the Secretary
to any individual who has been convicted, within 10 years,
of violating a dangerous drug law of the United States or
to any individual who has been a user of a dangerous
drug, unless the individual provides satisfactory proof of
being cured. This includes PCP and LSD. See also the
note to section 7704. However, the Secretary may deny
issuing a license, certificate or document to the individual who has used or been convicted of a “controlled substance” such as LSD if that use or conviction occurred
before the date of enactment of this Act.

Historical and Revision Notes
Amendments
Revised section

Source section (U.S. Code)

7502 ..................................... 46:414
46:643(f)

Section 7502 requires the Secretary to maintain records
on the issuances, denials, suspensions, and revocations of
licenses, certificates of registry, merchant mariner’s documents, and endorsements.

2018—Pub. L. 115–232 amended section generally. Prior
to amendment, section consisted of repealed subsec. (a)
and subsec. (b) identical to present provisions.
1990—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101–380 struck out subsec. (a)
which defined “dangerous drug” for purpose of this section as narcotic drug, controlled substance, and marihuana.

§ 7504

TITLE 46—SHIPPING

1985—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99–36 substituted “certificate
of registry, or merchant mariner’s document” for first
reference to “certificate, or document”.
Effective Date of 1990 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 101–380 applicable to incidents
occurring after Aug. 18, 1990, see section 1020 of Pub. L.
101–380, set out as an Effective Date note under section
2701 of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters.

§ 7504. Travel and expense reimbursement
When a requirement to qualify for the issuance
of, or endorsement on, a certificate, license, or
document under this part is administered at a
place at the request of an applicant or an applicant’s representative, the applicant or representative may reimburse the Secretary for the travel
and subsistence expenses incurred by the personnel assigned to perform the administration of the
requirement. Amounts received as reimbursement
under this section shall be credited to the appropriation for operating expenses of the Coast Guard.
(Added Pub. L. 99–640, § 10(b)(2)(A), Nov. 10, 1986,
100 Stat. 3549.)
Transfer of Functions
For transfer of authorities, functions, personnel, and
assets of the Coast Guard, including the authorities and
functions of the Secretary of Transportation relating
thereto, to the Department of Homeland Security, and
for treatment of related references, see sections 468(b),
551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and
the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization
Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note
under section 542 of Title 6.

§ 7505. Review of information in National Driver
Register
The Secretary shall make information received
from the National Driver Register under section
30305(b)(7) of title 49 available to an individual for
review and written comment before denying, suspending, revoking, or taking any other action relating to a license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariner’s document authorized to be issued
for that individual under this part, based on that
information.
(Added Pub. L. 101–380, title IV, § 4105(b)(1), Aug.
18, 1990, 104 Stat. 512; amended Pub. L. 115–232,
div. C, title XXXV, § 3546(e), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat.
2326.)
Amendments
2018—Pub. L. 115–232 substituted “section 30305(b)(7) of
title 49” for “section 206(b)(7) of the National Driver Register Act of 1982 (23 U.S.C. 401 note)”.

Page 580

this title for the vessels on which that service
was acquired, and
(2) issue the license, certificate, or document
based on that service.
(Added Pub. L. 104–324, title VII, § 745(a), Oct. 19,
1996, 110 Stat. 3942.)
§ 7507. Authority to extend the duration of licenses, certificates of registry, and merchant
mariner documents
(a) Licenses and Certificates of Registry.—
Notwithstanding sections 7106 and 7107, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard
is operating may—
(1) extend for not more than one year an expiring license or certificate of registry issued
for an individual under chapter 71 if the Secretary determines that the extension is required
to enable the Coast Guard to eliminate a backlog in processing applications for those licenses
or certificates of registry or in response to a
national emergency or natural disaster, as deemed
necessary by the Secretary; or
(2) issue for not more than five years an expiring license or certificate of registry issued
for an individual under chapter 71 for the exclusive purpose of aligning the expiration date of
such license or certificate of registry with the
expiration date of a merchant mariner’s document.
(b) Merchant Mariner Documents.—Notwithstanding section 7302(g), the Secretary may—
(1) extend for not more than one year an expiring merchant mariner’s document issued for
an individual under chapter 73 if the Secretary
determines that the extension is required to enable the Coast Guard to eliminate a backlog in
processing applications for those merchant mariner documents or in response to a national emergency or natural disaster, as deemed necessary
by the Secretary; or
(2) issue for not more than five years an expiring merchant mariner’s document issued for
an individual under chapter 73 for the exclusive
purpose of aligning the expiration date of such
merchant mariner’s document with the expiration date of a license or certificate of registry.
(c) Manner of Extension.—Any extensions
granted under this section may be granted to individual seamen or a specifically identified group
of seamen.
(Added Pub. L. 111–281, title VI, § 615(a), Oct. 15,
2010, 124 Stat. 2971; amended Pub. L. 112–213, title
III, § 311, Dec. 20, 2012, 126 Stat. 1569; Pub. L. 115–282,
title V, § 510(3), (4), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4274.)

Effective Date
Section applicable to incidents occurring after Aug. 18,
1990, see section 1020 of Pub. L. 101–380, set out as a note
under section 2701 of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable
Waters.

§ 7506. Convention tonnage for licenses, certificates, and documents
Notwithstanding any provision of section 14302(c)
or 14305 of this title, the Secretary may—
(1) evaluate the service of an individual who
is applying for a license, a certificate of registry, or a merchant mariner’s document by using
the tonnage as measured under chapter 143 of

Amendments
2018—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 115–282, § 510(3), substituted “merchant mariner documents” for “licenses or certificates of registry”.
Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 115–282, § 510(4), substituted “license or certificate of registry.” for “merchant mariner’s document.”
2012—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 112–213 substituted “chapter
71” for “chapter 73” in pars. (1) and (2).

§ 7508. Authority to extend the duration of medical certificates
(a) Granting of Extensions.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary may

Page 581

TITLE 46—SHIPPING

extend for not more than one year a medical certificate issued to an individual holding a license,
merchant mariner’s document, or certificate of
registry issued under chapter 71 or 73 if the Secretary determines that the extension is required
to enable the Coast Guard to eliminate a backlog
in processing applications for medical certificates
or is in response to a national emergency or natural disaster.
(b) Manner of Extension.—An extension under this section may be granted to individual seamen or a specifically identified group of seamen.
(Added Pub. L. 112–213, title III, § 306(a), Dec. 20,
2012, 126 Stat. 1565.)
§ 7509. Medical certification by trusted agents
(a) In General.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law and pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary, a trusted agent may issue a medical certificate to an individual who—
(1) must hold such certificate to qualify for a
license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariner’s document, or endorsement thereto under
this part; and
(2) is qualified as to sight, hearing, and physical condition to perform the duties of such license, certificate, document, or endorsement, as
determined by the trusted agent.
(b) Process for Issuance of Certificates by
Secretary.—A final rule implementing this section shall include a process for—
(1) the Secretary of the department in which
the Coast Guard is operating to issue medical
certificates to mariners who submit applications
for such certificates to the Secretary; and
(2) a trusted agent to defer to the Secretary
the issuance of a medical certificate.
(c) Trusted Agent Defined.—In this section
the term “trusted agent” means a medical practitioner certified by the Secretary to perform physical examinations of an individual for purposes of
a license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariner’s document under this part.
(Added Pub. L. 114–120, title III, § 309(a), Feb. 8,
2016, 130 Stat. 56.)
Implementation Deadline
Pub. L. 114–120, title III, § 309(b), Feb. 8, 2016, 130 Stat.
57, provided that: “Not later than 5 years after the date
of the enactment of this Act [Feb. 8, 2016], the Secretary
of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating
shall issue a final rule implementing section 7509 of title
46, United States Code, as added by this section.”

§ 7510. Examinations for merchant mariner credentials
(a) Disclosure Not Required.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary is
not required to disclose to the public—
(1) a question from any examination for a merchant mariner credential;
(2) the answer to such a question, including
any correct or incorrect answer that may be
presented with such question; and
(3) any quality or characteristic of such a
question, including—
(A) the manner in which such question has
been, is, or may be selected for an examination;
(B) the frequency of such selection; and

§ 7510

(C) the frequency that an examinee correctly or incorrectly answered such question.
(b) Exception for Certain Questions.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Secretary may,
for the purpose of preparation by the general public for examinations required for merchant mariner credentials, release an examination question
and answer that the Secretary has retired or is
not presently on or part of an examination, or
that the Secretary determines is appropriate for
release.
(c) Exam Review.—
(1) In general.—Not later than 90 days after
the date of the enactment of the Coast Guard
Authorization Act of 2016, and once every two
years thereafter, the Commandant shall commission a working group to review new questions for inclusion in examinations required for
merchant mariner credentials, composed of—
(A) 1 subject matter expert from the Coast
Guard;
(B) representatives from training facilities
and the maritime industry, of whom—
(i) one-half shall be representatives from
approved training facilities; and
(ii) one-half shall be representatives from
the appropriate maritime industry;
(C) at least 1 representative from the National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory
Committee;
(D) at least 2 representatives from the State
maritime academies, of whom one shall be a
representative from the deck training track
and one shall be a representative of the engineer license track;
(E) representatives from other Coast Guard
Federal advisory committees, as appropriate,
for the industry segment associated with the
subject examinations;
(F) at least 1 subject matter expert from
the Maritime Administration; and
(G) at least 1 human performance technology representative.
(2) Inclusion of persons knowledgeable
about examination type.—The working group
shall include representatives knowledgeable about
the examination type under review.
(3) Limitation.—The requirement to convene
a working group under paragraph (1) does not
apply unless there are new examination questions to review.
(4) Baseline review.—
(A) In general.—Within 1 year after the
date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2016, the Secretary shall
convene the working group to complete a baseline review of the Coast Guard’s Merchant Mariner Credentialing Examination, including review of—
(i) the accuracy of examination questions;
(ii) the accuracy and availability of examination references;
(iii) the length of merchant mariner examinations; and
(iv) the use of standard technologies in
administering, scoring, and analyzing the
examinations.
(B) Progress report.—The Coast Guard
shall provide a progress report to the appro-

§ 7701

TITLE 46—SHIPPING

priate congressional committees on the review under this paragraph.
(5) Full membership not required.—The
Coast Guard may convene the working group
without all members present if any non-CoastGuard representative is present.
(6) Nondisclosure agreement.—The Secretary shall require all members of the working
group to sign a nondisclosure agreement with
the Secretary.
(7) Treatment of members as federal employees.—A member of the working group who
is not a Federal Government employee shall not
be considered a Federal employee in the service
or the employment of the Federal Government,
except that such a member shall be considered
a special government employee, as defined in
section 202(a) of title 18 for purposes of sections
203, 205, 207, 208, and 209 of such title and shall
be subject to any administrative standards of
conduct applicable to an employee of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating.
(8) Formal exam review.—The Secretary shall
ensure that the Coast Guard Performance Technology Center—
(A) prioritizes the review of examinations
required for merchant mariner credentials; and
(B) not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization
Act of 2016, completes a formal review, including an appropriate analysis, of the topics and
testing methodology employed by the National Maritime Center for merchant seamen licensing.
(9) FACA.—The Federal Advisory Committee
Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to any working group created under this section to review
the Coast Guard’s merchant mariner credentialing examinations.
(d) Merchant Mariner Credential Defined.—
In this section, the term “merchant mariner credential” means a merchant seaman license, certificate, or document that the Secretary is authorized to issue pursuant to this title.
(Added Pub. L. 114–120, title III, § 315(a)(1), Feb. 8,
2016, 130 Stat. 60; amended Pub. L. 114–328, div. C,
title XXXV, § 3503(a), (b)(1), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat.
2775; Pub. L. 115–232, div. C, title XXXV, § 3541(b)(12),
Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2323; Pub. L. 115–282, title
VI, § 601(c)(3)(B), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4289.)
References in Text
The date of the enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2016, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), (4)(A),
(8)(B), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 114–120, which
was approved Feb. 8, 2016.
The Federal Advisory Committee Act, referred to in
subsec. (c)(9), is Pub. L. 92–463, Oct. 6, 1972, 86 Stat. 770,
which is set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government
Organization and Employees.
Amendments
2018—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 115–232 substituted “Commandant” for “Commandant of the Coast Guard” in introductory provisions.
Subsec. (c)(1)(C). Pub. L. 115–282 inserted “National”
before “Merchant Marine”.
2016—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 114–328, § 3503(a), in introductory provisions, substituted “Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2016” for “Coast Guard Authorization Act of
2015”.

Page 582

Subsec. (c)(1)(D). Pub. L. 114–328, § 3503(b)(1)(A), substituted “engineer” for “engine”.
Subsec. (c)(4)(A), (8)(B). Pub. L. 114–328, § 3503(a), substituted “Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2016” for “Coast
Guard Authorization Act of 2015”.
Subsec. (c)(9). Pub. L. 114–328, § 3503(b)(1)(B), inserted a
period after “App”.
Effective Date of 2016 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 114–328 effective as if included
in the enactment of Pub. L. 114–120, see section 3503(e) of
Pub. L. 114–328, set out as a note under section 315 of
Title 14, Coast Guard.
Disclosure to Congress
Pub. L. 114–120, title III, § 315(c), Feb. 8, 2016, 130 Stat.
62, provided that: “Nothing in this section [enacting this
section and section 7116 of this title] may be construed
to authorize the withholding of information from an appropriate inspector general, the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate, or the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House
of Representatives.”

CHAPTER 77—SUSPENSION AND
REVOCATION
Sec.

7701.
7702.
7703.
7704.
7705.
7706.

General.
Administrative procedure.
Bases for suspension or revocation.
Dangerous drugs as grounds for revocation.
Subpenas and oaths.
Drug testing reporting.
Amendments

2004—Pub. L. 108–293, title IV, § 414(b), Aug. 9, 2004, 118
Stat. 1047, added item 7706.

§ 7701. General
(a) The purpose of suspension and revocation
proceedings is to promote safety at sea.
(b) Licenses, certificates of registry, and merchant mariners’ documents may be suspended or
revoked for acts described in section 7703 of this
title.
(c) When a license, certificate of registry, or
merchant mariner’s document has been revoked
under this chapter, the former holder may be issued a new license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariner’s document only after—
(1) the Secretary decides, under regulations
prescribed by the Secretary, that the issuance
is compatible with the requirement of good discipline and safety at sea; and
(2) the former holder provides satisfactory proof
that the bases for revocation are no longer valid.
(d) The Secretary may prescribe regulations to
carry out this chapter.
(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 546; Pub. L.
101–380, title IV, § 4103(c), Aug. 18, 1990, 104 Stat.
511.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised section

Source section (U.S. Code)

7701 ..................................... 46:239(g)

Section 7701 establishes the general purpose of suspension and revocation proceedings, which is to promote
safety at sea. This section also provides the Secretary
with the authority to suspend or revoke licenses, certificates, and documents, as well as the authority to issue a
new license, certificate or document to an individual when