
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 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).

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 1603 of this title.
