§ 160.3 Definitions.

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Title 33 CFR: Navigation and Navigable Waters › Chapter I: COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY › Part 160: PORTS AND WATERWAYS SAFETY—GENERAL › Subpart A: General › § 160.3: § 160.3 Definitions.

This text was captured on Aug 14, 2026. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so check the official code before relying on it.

Text

For the purposes of this subchapter:

Bulk

means material in any quantity that is shipped, stored, or handled without the benefit of package, label, mark or count and carried in integral or fixed independent tanks.

Captain of the Port

means the Coast Guard officer designated by the Commandant to command a Captain of the Port Zone as described in part 3 of this chapter.

Commandant

means the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard.

Deviation

means any departure from any rule in this subchapter.

Director, Vessel Traffic Services

means the Coast Guard officer designated by the Commandant to command a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) as described in part 161 of this chapter.

District Commander

means the Coast Guard officer designated by the Commandant to command a Coast Guard District as described in part 3 of this chapter.

ETA

means estimated time of arrival.

Length of Tow

means, when towing with a hawser, the length in feet from the stern of the towing vessel to the stern of the last vessel in tow. When pushing ahead or towing alongside, length of tow means the tandem length in feet of the vessels in tow excluding the length of the towing vessel.

Person

means an individual, firm, corporation, association, partnership, or governmental entity.

State

means each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, and any other commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.

Tanker

means a self-propelled tank vessel constructed or adapted primarily to carry oil or hazardous materials in bulk in the cargo spaces.

Tank Vessel

means a vessel that is constructed or adapted to carry, or that carries, oil or hazardous material in bulk as cargo or cargo residue.

Vehicle

means every type of conveyance capable of being used as a means of transportation on land

e United States.

Tanker

means a self-propelled tank vessel constructed or adapted primarily to carry oil or hazardous materials in bulk in the cargo spaces.

Tank Vessel

means a vessel that is constructed or adapted to carry, or that carries, oil or hazardous material in bulk as cargo or cargo residue.

Vehicle

means every type of conveyance capable of being used as a means of transportation on land.

Vessel

means every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water.

Vessel Traffic Services (VTS)

means a service implemented under part 161 of this chapter by the United States Coast Guard designed to improve the safety and efficiency of vessel traffic and to protect the environment. The VTS has the capability to interact with marine traffic and respond to traffic situations developing in the VTS area.

Vessel Traffic Service Area

or

VTS Area

means the geographical area encompassing a specific VTS area of service as described in part 161 of this chapter. This area of service may be subdivided into sectors for the purpose of allocating responsibility to individual Vessel Traffic Centers or to identify different operating requirements.

Note:

Although regulatory jurisdiction is limited to the navigable waters of the United States, certain vessels will be encouraged or may be required, as a condition of port entry, to report beyond this area to facilitate traffic management within the VTS area.

VTS Special Area

means a waterway within a VTS area in which special operating requirements apply.

[CGD 90-020, 59 FR 36323, July 15, 1994, as amended at USCG-2010-0351, 75 FR 36286, June 25, 2010]

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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