33 U.S.C. § 2001
Section 2001 · Application (Rule 1)
Amended 3 times on record
Applied in 45 court decisions — leading case Foremost Insurance v. Richardson (1982)
Most recently applied in Youngberg v. McKeough (August 2013)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
These Rules apply to all vessels upon the inland waters of the United States, and to vessels of the United States on the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes to the extent that there is no conflict with Canadian law.
(i) These Rules constitute special rules made by an appropriate authority within the meaning of Rule 1(b) of the International Regulations.
(ii) All vessels complying with the construction and equipment requirements of the International Regulations are considered to be in compliance with these Rules.
Nothing in these Rules shall interfere with the operation of any special rules made by the Secretary of the Navy with respect to additional station or signal lights and shapes or whistle signals for ships of war and vessels proceeding under convoy, or by the Secretary with respect to additional station or signal lights and shapes for fishing vessels engaged in fishing as a fleet. These additional station or signal lights and shapes or whistle signals shall, so far as possible, be such that they cannot be mistaken for any light, shape, or signal authorized elsewhere under these Rules. Notice of such special rules shall be published in the Federal Register and, after the effective date specified in such notice, they shall have effect as if they were a part of these Rules.
Traffic separation schemes may be established for the purpose of these Rules. Vessel traffic service regulations may be in effect in certain areas.
Whenever the Secretary determines that a vessel or class of vessels of special construction or purpose cannot comply fully with the provisions of any of these Rules with respect to the number, position, range, or arc of visibility of lights or shapes, as well as to the disposition and characteristics of sound-signaling appliances, the vessel shall comply with such other provisions in regard to the number, position, range, or arc of visibility of lights or shapes, as well as to the disposition and characteristics of sound-signaling appliances, as the Secretary shall have determined to be the closest possible compliance with these Rules. The Secretary may issue a certificate of alternative compliance for a vessel or class of vessels specifying the closest possible compliance with these Rules. The Secretary of the Navy shall make these determinations and issue certificates of alternative compliance for vessels of the Navy.
The Secretary may accept a certificate of alternative compliance issued by a contracting party to the International Regulations if he determines that the alternative compliance standards of the contracting party are substantially the same as those of the United States.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
References in Text
These Rules, referred to in pars. (a), (b), (c), and (e), are the Inland Navigational Rules which are classified to this subchapter.
The International Regulations, referred to in pars. (b) and (f), are the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, which are set out in Appendix A to Part 81 of Title 33, Code of Federal Regulations.
Codification
Section was enacted as part of section 2 of Pub. L. 96–591 which enacted the Inland Navigational Rules which comprise this subchapter.
Amendments
1992—Par. (d). Pub. L. 102–587 amended par. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (d) read as follows: “Vessel traffic service regulations may be in effect in certain areas.”
1991—Par. (e). Pub. L. 102–241 struck out “without interfering with the special function of the vessel,” before “the vessel shall comply”.
Effective Date
Section 7 of Pub. L. 96–591 provided that: “Sections 2, 4, 6(1), and 8(a) [enacting this section and sections 2002 to 2038 and 2072 of this title, amending section 1604 of this title, and repealing sections 154 to 159, 171 to 183, 191, 192, 201 to 213, 221, 222, 231, 232, 301 to 303, 311 to 323, 331, 341–356, 360, and 360a of this title and sections 526b, 526c, and 526d of former Title 46, Shipping] are effective 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 24, 1980], except that on the Great Lakes, the effective date of sections 2 and 4 [enacting this section and sections 2002 to 2038 and 2072 of this title] will be established by the Secretary. [The effective date on the Great Lakes was established as Mar. 1, 1983. See 47 F.R. 15135, Apr. 8, 1982.] Section 5 [enacting section 2073 of this title] is effective on October 1, 1981.”
Short Title
Section 1 of Pub. L. 96–591 provided: “That this Act [enacting this chapter, amending sections 151, 1604, 1605, and 1608 of this title, repealing sections 154 to 159, 171 to 183, 191, 192, 201 to 213, 221, 222, 231, 232, 241 to 244, 251 to 262, 271, 272, 281 to 295, 301 to 303, 311 to 323, 331, 341 to 356, 360, and 360a of this title and sections 526b, 526c, and 526d of former Title 46, Shipping, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section] may be cited as the ‘Inland Navigational Rules Act of 1980’.”
Repeal of Predecessor Provisions; Savings Provisions
Section 8(a) of Pub. L. 96–591 provided in part that: “The laws specified in the following schedules are repealed. Any prior rights or liabilities existing under these laws are not affected by their repeal.” [The schedules repealed sections 154 to 159, 171 to 183, 191, 192, 201 to 213, 221, 222, 231, 232, 301 to 303, 311 to 323, 331, 341 to 356, 360, and 360a of this title and sections 526b, 526c, and 526d of former Title 46, Shipping.]
Section 8(b) of Pub. L. 96–591 provided in part that: “The following laws [sections 241 to 244, 251 to 262, 271, 272, and 281 to 295 of this title] are repealed when the Secretary establishes an effective date under section 7 [set out as a note above].”