---
type: "LegalText"
title: "46 U.S.C. § 53303"
description: "Persons eligible to establish funds"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 46
title_name: "SHIPPING"
chapter_number: "533"
chapter_name: "CONSTRUCTION RESERVE FUNDS"
section: "53303"
citation: "46 U.S.C. § 53303"
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/s53303"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-46/usc46.xml"
source_hash: "8b63090bd3ee6339eb90e7b9acb21565f893e4ab26f568bb8084e656d9368328"
raw_snapshot_hash: "eb1331aa3c08ed87231a3606d86b30d1b5942cdf8542f6a3df8ac1d66e86057f"
text_hash: "46a8f5c3137499188126d236f91ef49c2e86a1b0700ebe111172e3b5d7df7bfd"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 46 U.S.C. § 53303 - Persons eligible to establish funds

## Text

A construction reserve fund may be established by a citizen of the United States that—

(1) is operating a vessel in the foreign or domestic commerce of the United States or in the fisheries;

(2) owns, in whole or in part, a vessel being operated in the foreign or domestic commerce of the United States or in the fisheries;

(3) was operating a vessel in the foreign or domestic commerce of the United States or in the fisheries when it was bought or requisitioned by the United States Government;

(4) owned, in whole or in part, a vessel being operated in the foreign or domestic commerce of the United States or in the fisheries when it was bought or requisitioned by the Government; or

(5) had acquired or was having constructed a vessel to operate in the foreign or domestic commerce of the United States or in the fisheries when it was bought or requisitioned by the Government.

(Pub. L. 109–304, § 8(c), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1587.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision Notes RevisedSectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 5330346 App.:1161(b) (1st sentence words between 6th and 10th commas).June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title V, § 511(b) (1st sentence words between 6th and 10th commas), as added Oct. 10, 1940, ch. 849, 54 Stat. 1106; June 17, 1943, ch. 130, subdiv. (a), 57 Stat. 157; July 17, 1952, ch. 939, § 9, 66 Stat. 762.