Operation of submersible vessel or semi-submersible vessel without nationality
46 U.S.C. § 70508
in effect(a) In General.—An individual may not operate by any means or embark in any submersible vessel or semi-submersible vessel that is without nationality and that is navigating or has navigated into, through, or from waters beyond the outer limit of the territorial sea of a single country or a lateral limit of that country’s territorial sea with an adjacent country, with the intent to evade detection.
(b) Evidence of Intent To Evade Detection.—In any civil enforcement proceeding for a violation of subsection (a), the presence of any of the indicia described in paragraph (1)(A), (E), (F), or (G), or in paragraph (4), (5), or (6), of section 70507(b) may be considered, in the totality of the circumstances, to be prima facie evidence of intent to evade detection.
(c) Defenses.—(1) In general.—It is a defense in any civil enforcement proceeding for a violation of subsection (a) that the submersible vessel or semi-submersible vessel involved was, at the time of the violation—(A) a vessel of the United States or lawfully registered in a foreign nation as claimed by the master or individual in charge of the vessel when requested to make a claim by an officer of the United States authorized to enforce applicable provisions of United States law; (B) classed by and designed in accordance with the rules of a classification society; (C) lawfully operated in government-regulated or licensed activity, including commerce, research, or exploration; or (D) equipped with and using an operable automatic identification system, vessel monitoring system, or long range identification and tracking system. (2) Production of documents.—The defenses provided by this subsection are proved conclusively by the production of—(A) government documents evidencing the vessel’s nationality at the time of the offense, as provided in article 5 of the 1958 Convention on the High Seas; (B) a certificate of classification issued by the vessel’s classification society upon completion of relevant classification surveys and valid at the time of the offense; or (C) government documents evidencing licensure, regulation, or registration for research or exploration.
(d) Civil Penalty.—A person violating this section shall be liable to the United States for a civil penalty of not more than $1,000,000.
Source: OLRC USLMURL: https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/95/xml_usc46@119-95.zipFetched: 6/7/2026