---
kind: "section"
citation: "46 U.S.C. § 51702"
title: "46"
title_heading: "Shipping"
number: "51702"
heading: "Civilian nautical schools"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/46/51702"
units:
  - "Subtitle V — Merchant Marine"
  - "Part B — Merchant Marine Service"
  - "Chapter 517 — Other Support for Merchant Marine Training"
---

# §51702. Civilian nautical schools

- (a) **Definition.—** In this section, the term “civilian nautical school” means a school operated in the [United States](/usc/46/53101.md?p=10) (except the [United States](/usc/46/53101.md?p=10) Merchant Marine [Academy](/usc/46/51102.md?p=1), a [State maritime academy](/usc/46/51102.md?p=4), or another school operated by the [United States](/usc/46/53101.md?p=10) Government) that offers instruction to individuals quartered on a [vessel](/usc/46/53501.md?p=9) primarily to train them for service in the merchant marine.
- (b) **Inspection.—** Each civilian nautical school is subject to inspection by the [Secretary](/usc/46/53101.md?p=8) of Transportation.
- (c) **Rating and Certification.—** The [Secretary](/usc/46/53101.md?p=8) may, under regulations the [Secretary](/usc/46/53101.md?p=8) may prescribe, provide for the rating and certification of civilian nautical schools as to the adequacy of their course of instruction, the competence of their instructors, and the suitability of the equipment used in their course of instruction.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 109–304, § 8(b), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1582.)

## Notes

| Historical and Revision Notes |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Revised<br>Section | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| 51702 | 46 App.:1295f. | June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title XIII, § 1307, as added Pub. L. 96–453, § 2, Oct. 15, 1980, 94 Stat. 2007; Pub. L. 98–89, § 4(b), Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 603. |

The text of 46 App. U.S.C. 1295f(d) is omitted because it apparently was intended to apply to former 46 App. U.S.C. 1295f(c), which was repealed in 1983.