94 STAT. 3454 46 USC 65c.
PUBLIC LAW 96-594—DEC. 24, 1980
SEC. 105. HOME PORTS.
(a) With the approval of the Secretary and subject to such regulations as he may prescribe, the port of documentation selected by an owner for the documentation of his vessel shall be the vessel's home port. (b) Once a vessel's home port has been fixed as provided in subsection (a), it may not be changed without the approval of the Secretary, subject to such regulations as he may prescribe. 46 USC 65d.
Fee. 46 USC 65e.
SEC. 106. NAME OF VESSEL.
(a) At the time of application for initial documentation of a vessel, the owner shall provide a name for the vessel. Subject to the approval of the Secretary and upon the issuance of a certificate of documentation, that name shall become the vessel's name of record. (b) Once a vessel's name of record has been fixed as provided in subsection (a), it shall not be changed without the approval of the Secretary, subject to such regulations as he may prescribe. (c) The Secretary may prescribe a reasonable fee for changing a documented vessel s name of record. SEC. 107. CERTIFICATE OF DOCUMENTATION: APPLICATION; ISSUANCE; FORM; EXHIBITION.
(a) Upon application by the owner of any vessel eligible for documentation, the Secretary shall issue a certificate of documentation of a type specified in section 110, 111, 112,113, or 114 of this title. (b) The Secretary may prescribe the form of, the manner of filing, and the information to be contained in, applications for certificates of documentation. (c) Each certificate of documentation shall— (1) contain the name, the home port, and a description of the vessel for which it is issued; (2) identify its owner; and (3) be in the form and contain any additional information prescribed by the Secretary. (d) The Secretary shall, by regulation, prescribe procedures to insure the integrity of, and the accuracy of information contained in, certificates of documentation issued under this title. (e) The owner and the master of each documented vessel shall make the vessel's certificate of documentation available for examination as the law may require or as the Secretary may prescribe. 46 USC 65f.
SEC. 108. NUMBERS; SIGNAL LETTERS; IDENTIFICATION MARKINGS.
(a) The Secretary shall maintain a numbering system for the identification of documented vessels and shall assign a number to each documented vessel. (b) The Secretary may maintain a system of signal letters for documented vessels. (c) The owner of each documented vessel shall affix to the vessel and maintain in the manner prescribed by the Secretary the number assigned under subsection (a) and any other identification markings the Secretary may prescribe. 46 USC 65g.
SEC. 109. PURPOSE OF DOCUMENTATION.
A certificate of documentation issued under this title is— (1) conclusive evidence of nationality for international purposes, but not in any proceeding conducted under the laws of the United States;
�
