Opinion ID: 118346
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Tank Vessel Act.

Text: The Tank Vessel Act of 1936, 49 Stat. 1889, enacted specific requirements for operation of covered vessels. The Act provided that [i]n order to secure effective provisions against the hazards of life and property, additional federal rules could be adopted with respect to the design and construction, alteration, or repair of such vessels, the operation of such vessels, and the requirements of the manning of such vessels and the duties and qualifications of the officers and crews thereof. The purpose of the Act was to establish a reasonable and uniform set of rules and regulations concerning . . . vessels carrying the type of cargo deemed dangerous. H. R. Rep. No. 2962, 74th Cong., 2d Sess., 2 (1936). The Tank Vessel Act was the primary source for regulating tank vessels for the next 30 years, until the Torrey Canyon grounding led Congress to take new action.