
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 46USC10502]

 
                           TITLE 46--SHIPPING
 
                     Subtitle II--Vessels and Seamen
 
              Part G--Merchant Seamen Protection and Relief
 
                     CHAPTER 105--COASTWISE VOYAGES
 
Sec. 10502. Shipping articles agreements

    (a) The owner, charterer, managing operator, master, or individual 
in charge shall make a shipping agreement in writing with each seaman 
before the seaman commences employment.
    (b) The agreement shall include the date and hour on which the 
seaman must be on board to begin the voyage.
    (c) The agreement may not contain a provision on the allotment of 
wages or a scale of provisions.
    (d) Each shipping agreement must be signed by the master or 
individual in charge or a representative of the owner, charterer, or 
managing operator, and by each seaman employed.
    (e) The owner, charterer, managing operator, master, or individual 
in charge shall maintain the shipping agreement and make the shipping 
agreement available to the seaman.
    (f) The Secretary shall prescribe regulations requiring shipping 
companies to maintain records of seamen on matters of engagement, 
discharge, and service. The shipping companies shall make these records 
available to the seaman and the Coast Guard on request.

(Pub. L. 98-89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 570; Pub. L. 103-206, title IV, 
Sec. 413, Dec. 20, 1993, 107 Stat. 2437.)

                      Historical and Revision Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Revised section                Source section (U.S. Code)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10502.............................  46:574
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 10502 requires the master on a vessel engaged on a coastwise 
voyage to sign a shipping agreement with each member of the crew and 
lists provisions which must be and provisions which may not be included 
in the agreement.


                               Amendments

    1993--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103-206, Sec. 413(1), amended subsec. (a) 
generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (a) read as follows: ``Before 
proceeding on a voyage, the master of a vessel to which this chapter 
applies shall make a shipping articles agreement in writing with each 
seaman on board, declaring the nature of the voyage or the period of 
time for which the seaman is engaged.''
    Subsecs. (d) to (f). Pub. L. 103-206, Sec. 413(2), added subsecs. 
(d) to (f).

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in sections 10503, 10504, 10505, 10508, 
10509 of this title.
