---
type: "LegalText"
title: "46 U.S.C. § 80303"
description: "Speed of vessel in ice region"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 46
title_name: "SHIPPING"
chapter_number: "803"
chapter_name: "ICE AND DERELICTS"
section: "80303"
citation: "46 U.S.C. § 80303"
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/s80303"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-46/usc46.xml"
source_hash: "d8a3547a4e429993e66d9020e6f481c41779d874ab5fcb677fc339312206469d"
raw_snapshot_hash: "eb1331aa3c08ed87231a3606d86b30d1b5942cdf8542f6a3df8ac1d66e86057f"
text_hash: "a56cd4c69695f9f027f47a3c11cbea870b5c8d44baff6e3542baffbd07c11ffe"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 46 U.S.C. § 80303 - Speed of vessel in ice region

## Text

(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.

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

## Notes

Historical and Revision Notes RevisedSectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 8030346 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.