§ 1605. — Navy and Coast Guard vessels of special construction or purpose.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 33USC1605]
TITLE 33--NAVIGATION AND NAVIGABLE WATERS
CHAPTER 30--INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA
Sec. 1605. Navy and Coast Guard vessels of special construction
or purpose
(a) Certification for alternative compliance
Any requirement of the International Regulations with respect to the
number, position, range, or arc of visibility of lights, with respect to
shapes, or with respect to the disposition and characteristics of sound-
signaling appliances, shall not be applicable to a vessel of special
construction or purpose, whenever the Secretary of the Navy, for any
vessel of the Navy, or the Secretary of the department in which the
Coast Guard is operating, for any other vessel of the United States,
shall certify that the vessel cannot comply fully with that requirement
without interfering with the special function of the vessel.
(b) Closest possible compliance by vessels covered by certification for
alternative compliance
Whenever a certification is issued under the authority of subsection
(a) of this section, the vessel involved shall comply with the
requirement as to which the certification is made to the extent that the
Secretary issuing the certification shall certify as the closest
possible compliance by that vessel.
(c) Publication of certifications in Federal Register
Notice of the certifications issued pursuant to subsections (a) and
(b) of this section shall be published in the Federal Register.
(d) Issuance of certification for a class of vessels
A certification authorized by this section may be issued for a class
of vessels.
(Pub. L. 95-75, Sec. 6, July 27, 1977, 91 Stat. 309; Pub. L. 96-591,
Sec. 6(2), Dec. 24, 1980, 94 Stat. 3434.)
Amendments
1980--Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 96-591 added subsec. (d).
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.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 1603 of this title.
