97 STAT. 536 PUBLIC LAW 98-89 —AUG. 26, 1983 § 6101. Marine casualties and reporting Regulations. (a) The Secretary shall prescribe regulations on the marine casu- alties and incidents to be reported and the manner of reporting. The r^ulations shall require reporting the following marine casualties: (1) death of an individual. (2) serious injury to an individual. (3) material loss of property. (4) material damage affecting the seaworthiness or efficiency of the vessel. Qo) A marine casualty shall be reported within 5 days as provided in this part and regulations prescribed under this part. (c) When the owner, charterer, managing operator, or agent of a vessel of the United States has reason to believe (because of lack of communication with or nonappearance of a vessel or any other incident) that the vessel may have been lost or imperiled, the owner, charterer, managing operator, or agent immediately shall attempt to determine the status of the vessel. If the owner, charterer, managing operator, or agent cannot determine the status of the vessel, the owner, charterer, managing operator, or agent immedi- ately shall notify the Coast Guard and provide the name and identification number of the vessel, the names of individuals on board, and any other information that may be requested by the Coast Guard. (d) This part applies to a foreign vessel when involved in a marine casualty on the navigable waters of the United States. (e) A marine casualty not resulting in the death of an individual shall be classified according to the gravity of the casualty, as prescribed by regulation, giving consideration to the extent of inju- ries to individuals, the extent of property damage, the dangers that the casualty creates, and the size, occupation, and means of propul- sion of each vessel involved. § 6102. State marine casualty reporting system Regulations. (a) The Secretary shall prescribe regulations for a uniform State marine casualty reporting system for vessels. Regulations shall prescribe the casualties to be reported and the manner of reporting. A State shall compile and submit to the Secretary reports, informa- tion, and statistics on casualties reported to the State. (b) The Secretary shall collect, analyze, and publish reports, infor- mation, and statistics on marine casualties together with findings and recommendations the Secretary considers appropriate. If a State marine casualty reporting system provides that information derived from casualty reports (except statistical information) may not be publicly disclosed, or otherwise prohibits use by the State or any person in any action or proceeding against a person, the Secre- tary may use the information provided by the State only in the same way that the State may use the information. § 6103. Penalty An owner, charterer, managing operator, agent, master, or indi- vidual in charge of a vessel failing to report a casualty or incident as required under section 6101 of this title or a regulation prescribed under section 6101 is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of $1,000.
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