46 CFR 78.19-1
§ 78.19-1 Use of auto pilot.
United States · 46 CFR — Shipping · Status: effective
Cite this
- Citation
- 46 CFR 78.19-1, § 78.19-1 Use of auto pilot, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/226099
- Permanent ID
ys:prov:226099@1- SHA-256
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Full text
Except as provided in 33 CFR 164.15, when the automatic pilot is used in—
(a) Areas of high traffic density;
(b) Conditions of restricted visibility; and
(c) All other hazardous navigational situations, the master shall ensure that—
(1) It is possible to immediately establish manual control of the ship's steering;
(2) A competent person is ready at all times to take over steering control; and
(3) The changeover from automatic to manual steering and vice versa is made by, or under, the supervision of the officer of the watch.
Legislative history
This is a federal regulation, adopted through agency rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act — not enacted by a recorded vote of Congress.