Sec. 431. Alternate standards
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Chapter 33 of title 46, United States Code, is amended— by redesignating sections 3317 and 3318 as sections 3318 and 3319, respectively; and by inserting after section 3316 the following: Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security for America Act of 2025 , the Secretary, in consultation with the Maritime Administrator, shall establish alternate standards to allow self-propelled vessels providing oceangoing transportation that are not documented under chapter 121 of this title to receive a certificate of inspection if the vessel will become a documented vessel.
Under the program established under subsection (a), a self-propelled vessel used to provide oceangoing transportation that is not documented under chapter 121 of this title shall be eligible for a certificate of inspection if the Secretary determines that— the owner of the vessel has agreed to apply to have the vessel documented under chapter 121 upon receiving the certificate; at the time of the receipt of such certificate, the vessel is eligible for documentation under such chapter; the vessel is classed by and designed in accordance with the rules of a classification society accepted by the Secretary; the vessel complies with applicable international agreements and associated guidelines, as determined by the country in which the vessel was documented immediately before becoming documented under chapter 121, notwithstanding any other law including any regulation; the vessel has been assessed for cybersecurity and surveillance risks; and the country in which the vessel was documented immediately before becoming documented under chapter 121 has not been identified by the Secretary as inadequately enforcing international vessel regulations as to that vessel.
This section does not apply to a vessel after any date on which the vessel fails to comply with the applicable international agreements and associated guidelines referred to in subsection (b)(4). The Secretary may rely on a certification from the American Bureau of Shipping or, subject to paragraph (2), another classification society accepted by the Secretary to establish that a vessel is in compliance with the requirements of paragraphs (3), (4), and
(6)of subsection
(b)and of subsection (c). The Secretary may accept certification from a foreign classification society under paragraph
(1)only— to the extent that the government of the foreign country in which the society is headquartered provides access on a reciprocal basis to the American Bureau of Shipping; and if the foreign classification society has offices and maintains records in the United States. The Secretary may initiate a rulemaking procedure to implement this standard. Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to affect requirements related to merchant seamen credentials under part E of subtitle II of this title or the requirements related to manning of vessels under part F of such subtitle. . The table of sections for chapter 33 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by striking the items relating to sections 3317 and 3318 and inserting the following: 3317. Alternate standards. 3318. Fees. 3319. Penalties. .