{"data":{"id":"us/46-u.s.c.-57109","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"46 U.S.C. § 57109","heading":"Operation of vessels purchased, chartered, or leased from Secretary of Transportation","body":"Unless otherwise authorized by the Secretary of Transportation, a vessel purchased, chartered, or leased from the Secretary may be operated only under a certificate of documentation with a registry or coastwise endorsement. Such a vessel, while employed solely as a merchant vessel, is subject to the laws, regulations, and liabilities governing merchant vessels, whether the United States Government has an interest in the vessel as an owner or holds a mortgage, lien, or other interest.","path":["Title 46—SHIPPING","CHAPTER 571—GENERAL AUTHORITY"],"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":"1d1c0ad4baaed8d2df84a54444976c783bec0104259bab3e31c10a3b4cae5dbb","source_id":"us","stale":false,"prev":"us/46-u.s.c.-57108","next":"us/46-u.s.c.-57110"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}