---
type: "LegalText"
title: "46 U.S.C. § 30103"
description: "Liability of master, mate, engineer, and pilot"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 46
title_name: "SHIPPING"
chapter_number: "301"
chapter_name: "GENERAL LIABILITY PROVISIONS"
section: "30103"
citation: "46 U.S.C. § 30103"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc46@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t46/s30103"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-46/usc46.xml"
source_hash: "d2be874559987cd5c0250f6da9551180513fc1b2e2d27c9b679c4eacda8ca03d"
raw_snapshot_hash: "eb1331aa3c08ed87231a3606d86b30d1b5942cdf8542f6a3df8ac1d66e86057f"
text_hash: "93bebc12b07c543823f009c12b216f59c6d0b39c35b86f0d0ff978bb6aa3081c"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 46 U.S.C. § 30103 - Liability of master, mate, engineer, and pilot

## Text

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.

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

## Notes

Historical and Revision Notes RevisedSectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 3010346 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”.