46 USC § 30103 - Liability of master, mate, engineer, and pilot

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t46/s30103"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "46 USC § 30103 - Liability of master, mate, engineer, and pilot"
title_number: 46
title_name: "SHIPPING"
section_number: "30103"
section_name: "Liability of master, mate, engineer, and pilot"
chapter_number: 301
chapter_name: "GENERAL LIABILITY PROVISIONS"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-03-26"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 109–304, § 6(c), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1510.)"
---


# § 30103. Liability of master, mate, engineer, and pilot

A person may bring a civil action against a master, mate, engineer, or pilot of a vessel, and recover damages, for personal injury or loss caused by the master’s, mate’s, engineer’s, or pilot’s—

**(1)** negligence or willful misconduct; or

**(2)** neglect or refusal to obey the laws governing the navigation of vessels.

---

**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 109–304, § 6(c), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1510.)

| RevisedSection | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 30103 | 46 App.:491 (words after semicolon). | R.S. § 4493 (words after semicolon). |

Before paragraph (1), the words “bring a civil action” are substituted for “sue” for consistency with rule 2 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (28 App. U.S.C.). In paragraph (1), the word “carelessness” is omitted as included in “negligence”.