Section 9101 requires monitoring of manning standards for foreign tank vessels operating on the navigable waters of the United States and transferring oil or hazardous material in the United States.

Subsection (a) requires the Secretary of Transportation to evaluate the manning, training, qualification, and watchkeeping standards of foreign countries whose tank vessels operate on United States waters, or use transfer facilities, and to decide if the standards are equivalent or more stringent than United States standards.

Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary to specify the number of tankermen required on a foreign tank vessel and to have certified tankermen who can understand English when transferring oil or hazardous material in the United States. This requirement is to be made part of the terminal operating procedures.

1990—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101–380 amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (a) read as follows: “The Secretary shall—

“(1) periodically evaluate the manning, training, qualification, and watchkeeping standards prescribed by the certificating country of a foreign vessel to which chapter 37 of this title applies, that operates on the navigable waters of the United States and transfers oil or hazardous material in a port or place under the jurisdiction of the United States; and

“(2) after each evaluation made under clause (1) of this subsection, decide whether the foreign country, whose system for licensing and certification of seamen was evaluated, has standards that are equivalent to or more stringent than United States standards or international standards accepted by the United States.”

Amendment by Pub. L. 101–380 applicable to incidents occurring after Aug. 18, 1990, see section 1020 of Pub. L. 101–380, set out as an Effective Date note under section 2701 of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters.