Us Code § 3716 - Tank washings
Full text of Us Code United States Code § 3716 — Tank washings, with citation guidance and answers to common questions.
§ 3716. Tank washings
(a) A vessel may not transfer cargo in a port or place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States if, before arriving, the vessel has discharged tank washings containing oil or hazardous material in preparation for loading at that port or place in violation of the laws of the United States or in a manner or quantities inconsistent with a treaty to which the United States is a party.
(b) The Secretary shall establish effective control and supervisory measures to carry out this section.
(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 527.)
| Revised section | Source section (U.S. Code) |
|---|---|
| 3716 | 46:391a(18) |
Section 3716 requires the Secretary to establish effective control and supervisory measures to prohibit the discharge of tank washings by dumping at sea. The section also prohibits the dumping vessel from subsequently loading any cargo at a port or terminal subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. This section is intended to prohibit the practice of discharging a cargo of oil or hazardous substance, then going to sea to clean tanks by pumping tank washing mixtures overboard, and then returning to a port or terminal subject to the jurisdiction of the United States for the purpose of loading a cargo that was incompatible with the prior cargo.
About This Section
46 U.S.C. § 3716 is part of Title 46 of the United States Code. The United States Code is the official codification of federal statutes maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congress amends the Code through new public laws, which are eventually incorporated into the relevant title.
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