---
kind: "section"
citation: "46 U.S.C. § 80303"
title: "46"
title_heading: "Shipping"
number: "80303"
heading: "Speed of vessel in ice region"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/46/80303"
units:
  - "Subtitle VIII — Miscellaneous"
  - "Chapter 803 — Ice and Derelicts"
---

# §80303. Speed of vessel in ice region

- (a) **Requirement.—** The master of a vessel of the United States, when ice is reported on or near the vessel’s course, shall proceed at a moderate speed or change the course of the vessel to go well clear of the danger zone.
- (b) **Civil Penalty.—** A master violating this section is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $500.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 109–304, § 11, Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1693.)

## Notes

| Historical and Revision Notes |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Revised<br>Section | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| 80303 | 46 App.:738c. | June 25, 1936, ch. 807, § 4, 49 Stat. 1923. |

In subsection (b), the words “liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty” are substituted for “liable to a fine” for clarity and for consistency in the revised title. The words “for each offense” are omitted as unnecessary.