IB 
Union Calendar No. 202 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2652 
[Report No. 111–351] 
To amend title 46, United States Code, to improve vessel safety, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 2, 2009 
Mr. OBERSTAR (for himself and Mr. CUMMINGS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
DECEMBER 3, 2009 
Additional sponsors: Mr. LARSEN of Washington and Mr. DELAHUNT 
DECEMBER 3, 2009 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 2, 2009] 
A BILL 
To amend title 46, United States Code, to improve vessel 
safety, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Maritime Safety Act 
of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. VESSEL SIZE LIMITS. 
(a) LENGTH, TONNAGE, AND HORSEPOWER.—Section 
12113(d)(2) of title 46, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon at the 
end of subparagraph (A)(i); 
(2) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara-
graph (A)(ii); 
(3) by striking subparagraph (A)(iii); 
(4) by striking the period at the end of subpara-
graph (B) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(5) by inserting at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) the vessel is either a rebuilt vessel or 
a replacement vessel under section 208(g) of the 
American Fisheries Act (title II of division C of 
Public Law 105–277; 112 Stat. 2681–627) and 
is eligible for a fishery endorsement under this 
section.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) VESSEL REBUILDING AND REPLACEMENT.— 
Section 208(g) of the American Fisheries Act (title II 
of division C of Public Law 105–277; 112 Stat. 2681– 
627) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(g) VESSEL REBUILDING AND REPLACEMENT.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(A) REBUILD
OR
REPLACE.—Notwith-
standing any limitation to the contrary on re-
placing, rebuilding, or lengthening vessels or 
transferring permits or licenses to a replacement 
vessel contained in sections 679.2 and 679.4 of 
title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect 
on the date of enactment of the Maritime Safety 
Act of 2009 and except as provided in paragraph 
(4), the owner of a vessel eligible under sub-
section (a), (b), (c), (d), or (e) (other than para-
graph (21)), in order to improve vessel safety 
and operational efficiencies (including fuel effi-
ciency), may rebuild or replace that vessel (in-
cluding fuel efficiency) with a vessel documented 
with a fishery endorsement under section 12113 
of title 46, United States Code. 
‘‘(B) SAME REQUIREMENTS.—The rebuilt or 
replacement vessel shall be eligible in the same 
manner and subject to the same restrictions and 
limitations under such subsection as the vessel 
being rebuilt or replaced. 
‘‘(C) TRANSFER
OF
PERMITS
AND
LI-
CENSES.—Each fishing permit and license held 
by the owner of a vessel or vessels to be rebuilt 
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or replaced under subparagraph (A) shall be 
transferred to the rebuilt or replacement vessel. 
‘‘(2) RECOMMENDATIONS
OF
NORTH
PACIFIC 
FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL.—The North Pacific 
Fishery Management Council may recommend for ap-
proval by the Secretary such conservation and man-
agement measures, including size limits and measures 
to control fishing capacity, in accordance with the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act as it considers necessary to en-
sure that this subsection does not diminish the effec-
tiveness of fishery management plans of the Bering 
Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area or the 
Gulf of Alaska. 
‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULE FOR REPLACEMENT OF CER-
TAIN VESSELS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the re-
quirements of subsections (b)(2), (c)(1), and 
(c)(2) of section 12113 of title 46, United States 
Code, a vessel that is eligible under subsection 
(a), (b), (c), (d), or (e) (other than paragraph 
(21)) and that qualifies to be documented with 
a fishery endorsement pursuant to section 203(g) 
or 213(g) may be replaced with a replacement 
vessel under paragraph (1) if the vessel that is 
replaced is validly documented with a fishery en-
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that ensures that no part of an individual is im-
mersed in water’’; 
(D) in paragraph (2)(D), by inserting ‘‘ma-
rine’’ before ‘‘radio’’; 
(E) in paragraph (2)(E), by striking 
‘‘radar reflectors, nautical charts, and anchors’’ 
and inserting ‘‘nautical charts, and publica-
tions’’; 
(F) in paragraph (2)(F), by striking ‘‘, in-
cluding medicine chests’’ and inserting ‘‘and 
medical supplies sufficient for the size and area 
of operation of the vessel’’ and 
(G) by amending paragraph (2)(G) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(G) ground tackle sufficient for the vessel.’’; 
(3) by amending subsection (f) to read as follows: 
‘‘(f) To ensure compliance with the requirements of 
this chapter, the Secretary— 
‘‘(1) shall require the individual in charge of a 
vessel described in subsection (b) to keep a record of 
equipment maintenance, and required instruction 
and drills; and 
‘‘(2) shall examine at dockside a vessel described 
in subsection (b) at least once every 2 years, and shall 
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