SEC. 6. SUBTITLE III OF TITLE 46. 
(a) SUBTITLE ANALYSIS.—The analysis of subtitle III of title 46, United 
States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘Chapter 
Sec.
‘‘301. General Liability Provisions .................................................................
30101
‘‘303. Death on the High Seas ..........................................................................
30301
‘‘305. Exoneration and Limitation of Liability ..........................................
30501
‘‘307. Liability of Water Carriers ....................................................................
30701
‘‘309. Suits in Admiralty Against the United States ...............................
30901
‘‘311. Suits Involving Public Vessels .............................................................
31101
‘‘313. Commercial Instruments and Maritime Liens ..............................
31301’’. 
(b) REPEALS.—Title 46, United States Code, is amended by striking 
chapter 301 and the lines appearing immediately before and immediately 
after chapter 313 indicating that certain chapters are reserved. 
(c) CHAPTERS 301–311.—Title 46, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after the analysis of subtitle III the following: 
‘‘CHAPTER 301—GENERAL LIABILITY PROVISIONS 
‘‘Sec. 
‘‘30101.
Extension of jurisdiction to cases of damage or injury on land. 
‘‘30102.
Liability to passengers. 
‘‘30103.
Liability of master, mate, engineer, and pilot. 
‘‘30104.
Personal injury to or death of seamen. 
‘‘30105.
Restriction on recovery by non-citizens and non-resident aliens for incidents in wa-
ters of other countries. 
‘‘30106.
Time limit on bringing maritime action for personal injury or death. 
‘‘§ 30101. Extension of jurisdiction to cases of damage or in-
jury on land 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the 
United States extends to and includes cases of injury or damage, to person 
or property, caused by a vessel on navigable waters, even though the injury 
or damage is done or consummated on land. 
‘‘(b) PROCEDURE.—A civil action in a case under subsection (a) may be 
brought in rem or in personam according to the principles of law and the 
rules of practice applicable in cases where the injury or damage has been 
done and consummated on navigable waters. 
‘‘(c) ACTIONS AGAINST UNITED STATES.— 
‘‘(1) EXCLUSIVE
REMEDY.—In a civil action against the United 
States for injury or damage done or consummated on land by a vessel 
on navigable waters, chapter 309 or 311 of this title, as appropriate, 
provides the exclusive remedy. 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE CLAIM.—A civil action described in paragraph 
(1) may not be brought until the expiration of the 6-month period after 
the claim has been presented in writing to the agency owning or oper-
ating the vessel causing the injury or damage. 
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‘‘§ 30102. Liability to passengers 
‘‘(a) LIABILITY.—The owner and master of a vessel, and the vessel, are 
liable for personal injury to a passenger or damage to a passenger’s baggage 
caused by— 
‘‘(1) a neglect or failure to comply with part B or F of subtitle II 
of this title; or 
‘‘(2) a known defect in the steaming apparatus or hull of the vessel. 
‘‘(b) NOT SUBJECT TO LIMITATION.—A liability imposed under this sec-
tion is not subject to limitation under chapter 305 of this title. 
‘‘§ 30103. Liability of master, mate, engineer, and pilot 
‘‘A person may bring a civil action against a master, mate, engineer, or 
pilot of a vessel, and recover damages, for personal injury or loss caused 
by the master’s, mate’s, engineer’s, or pilot’s— 
‘‘(1) negligence or willful misconduct; or 
‘‘(2) neglect or refusal to obey the laws governing the navigation of 
vessels. 
‘‘§ 30104. Personal injury to or death of seamen 
‘‘(a) CAUSE OF ACTION.—A seaman injured in the course of employment 
or, if the seaman dies from the injury, the personal representative of the 
seaman may elect to bring a civil action at law, with the right of trial by 
jury, against the employer. Laws of the United States regulating recovery 
for personal injury to, or death of, a railway employee apply to an action 
under this section. 
‘‘(b) VENUE.—An action under this section shall be brought in the judi-
cial district in which the employer resides or the employer’s principal office 
is located. 
‘‘§ 30105. Restriction on recovery by non-citizens and non- 
resident aliens for incidents in waters of other 
countries 
‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘continental shelf ’ has the 
meaning given that term in article I of the 1958 Convention on the Conti-
nental Shelf. 
‘‘(b) RESTRICTION.—Except as provided in subsection (c), a civil action 
for maintenance and cure or for damages for personal injury or death may 
not be brought under a maritime law of the United States if— 
‘‘(1) the individual suffering the injury or death was not a citizen 
or permanent resident alien of the United States at the time of the in-
cident giving rise to the action; 
‘‘(2) the incident occurred in the territorial waters or waters over-
laying the continental shelf of a country other than the United States; 
and 
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‘‘(3) the individual suffering the injury or death was employed at the 
time of the incident by a person engaged in the exploration, develop-
ment, or production of offshore mineral or energy resources, including 
drilling, mapping, surveying, diving, pipelaying, maintaining, repairing, 
constructing, or transporting supplies, equipment, or personnel, but not 
including transporting those resources by a vessel constructed or adapt-
ed primarily to carry oil in bulk in the cargo spaces. 
‘‘(c) NONAPPLICATION.—Subsection (b) does not apply if the individual 
bringing the action establishes that a remedy is not available under the laws 
of— 
‘‘(1) the country asserting jurisdiction over the area in which the in-
cident occurred; or 
‘‘(2) the country in which the individual suffering the injury or death 
maintained citizenship or residency at the time of the incident. 
‘‘§ 30106. Time limit on bringing maritime action for per-
sonal injury or death 
‘‘Except as otherwise provided by law, a civil action for damages for per-
sonal injury or death arising out of a maritime tort must be brought within 
3 years after the cause of action arose. 
‘‘CHAPTER 303—DEATH ON THE HIGH SEAS 
‘‘Sec. 
‘‘30301.
Short title. 
‘‘30302.
Cause of action. 
‘‘30303.
Amount and apportionment of recovery. 
‘‘30304.
Contributory negligence. 
‘‘30305.
Death of plaintiff in pending action. 
‘‘30306.
Foreign cause of action. 
‘‘30307.
Commercial aviation accidents. 
‘‘30308.
Nonapplication. 
‘‘§ 30301. Short title 
‘‘This chapter may be cited as the ‘Death on the High Seas Act’. 
‘‘§ 30302. Cause of action 
‘‘When the death of an individual is caused by wrongful act, neglect, or 
default occurring on the high seas beyond 3 nautical miles from the shore 
of the United States, the personal representative of the decedent may bring 
a civil action in admiralty against the person or vessel responsible. The ac-
tion shall be for the exclusive benefit of the decedent’s spouse, parent, child, 
or dependent relative. 
‘‘§ 30303. Amount and apportionment of recovery 
‘‘The recovery in an action under this chapter shall be a fair compensa-
tion for the pecuniary loss sustained by the individuals for whose benefit 
the action is brought. The court shall apportion the recovery among those 
individuals in proportion to the loss each has sustained. 
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‘‘§ 30304. Contributory negligence 
‘‘In an action under this chapter, contributory negligence of the decedent 
is not a bar to recovery. The court shall consider the degree of negligence 
of the decedent and reduce the recovery accordingly. 
‘‘§ 30305. Death of plaintiff in pending action 
‘‘If a civil action in admiralty is pending in a court of the United States 
to recover for personal injury caused by wrongful act, neglect, or default 
described in section 30302 of this title, and the individual dies during the 
action as a result of the wrongful act, neglect, or default, the personal rep-
resentative of the decedent may be substituted as the plaintiff and the ac-
tion may proceed under this chapter for the recovery authorized by this 
chapter. 
‘‘§ 30306. Foreign cause of action 
‘‘When a cause of action exists under the law of a foreign country for 
death by wrongful act, neglect, or default on the high seas, a civil action 
in admiralty may be brought in a court of the United States based on the 
foreign cause of action, without abatement of the amount for which recovery 
is authorized. 
‘‘§ 30307. Commercial aviation accidents 
‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘nonpecuniary damages’ 
means damages for loss of care, comfort, and companionship. 
‘‘(b) BEYOND 12 NAUTICAL MILES.—In an action under this chapter, if 
the death resulted from a commercial aviation accident occurring on the 
high seas beyond 12 nautical miles from the shore of the United States, ad-
ditional compensation is recoverable for nonpecuniary damages, but punitive 
damages are not recoverable. 
‘‘(c) WITHIN 12 NAUTICAL MILES.—This chapter does not apply if the 
death resulted from a commercial aviation accident occurring on the high 
seas 12 nautical miles or less from the shore of the United States. 
‘‘§ 30308. Nonapplication 
‘‘(a) STATE LAW.—This chapter does not affect the law of a State regu-
lating the right to recover for death. 
‘‘(b) INTERNAL WATERS.—This chapter does not apply to the Great 
Lakes or waters within the territorial limits of a State. 
‘‘CHAPTER 305—EXONERATION AND LIMITATION OF 
LIABILITY 
‘‘Sec. 
‘‘30501.
Definition. 
‘‘30502.
Application. 
‘‘30503.
Declaration of nature and value of goods. 
‘‘30504.
Loss by fire. 
‘‘30505.
General limit of liability. 
‘‘30506.
Limit of liability for personal injury or death. 
‘‘30507.
Apportionment of losses. 
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