46 CFR 140.670
§ 140.670 Use of auto pilot.
United States · 46 CFR — Shipping · Status: effective
Cite this
- Citation
- 46 CFR 140.670, § 140.670 Use of auto pilot, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/228160
- Permanent ID
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Full text
Except for towing vessels in compliance with requirements in 33 CFR 164.13(d), when an automatic pilot is used in areas of high traffic density, conditions of restricted visibility, or any other hazardous navigational situations, the master must ensure that:
(a) It is possible to immediately establish manual control of the ship's steering;
(b) A competent person is ready at all times to take over steering control; and
(c) The changeover from automatic to manual steering and vice versa is made by, or under, the supervision of the officer in charge of the navigational 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.