{"data":{"id":"us/46-u.s.c.-31329","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"46 U.S.C. § 31329","heading":"Court sales of documented vessels","body":"(a) A documented vessel may be sold by order of a district court only to—(1) a person eligible to own a documented vessel under section 12103 of this title; or (2) a mortgagee of that vessel. (b) When a vessel is sold to a mortgagee not eligible to own a documented vessel—(1) the vessel must be held by the mortgagee for resale; (2) the vessel held by the mortgagee is subject to chapter 563 of this title; and (3) the sale of the vessel to the mortgagee is not a sale to a person not a citizen of the United States under section 12132 of this title. (c) Unless waived by the Secretary of Transportation, a person purchasing a vessel by court order under subsection (a)(1) of this section or from a mortgagee under subsection (a)(2) of this section must document the vessel under chapter 121 of this title. (d) The vessel may be operated by the mortgagee not eligible to own a documented vessel only with the approval of the Secretary of Transportation. (e) A sale of a vessel contrary to this section is void. (f) This section does not apply to a documented vessel that has been operated only for pleasure.","path":["Title 46—SHIPPING","CHAPTER 313—COMMERCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND MARITIME LIENS"],"source_url":"https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/103/xml_usc46@119-103.zip","current_through":"Public Law 119-103 (09/02/2026)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-10T06:00:50Z","sha256":"1ecae6bb79d19dfc6c4ddc5f5b2d010a248771b5f398a6b8a32a86286c88ce67","source_id":"us","stale":false,"prev":"us/46-u.s.c.-31328","next":"us/46-u.s.c.-31330"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}