46 CFR 14.311: Reporting mariner discharge data to the Coast Guard

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section covers how shipping companies report data from certificates of discharge for vessels of the United States. A company may send the data electronically to the address the Coast Guard provides in § 14.103 of this part. If it submits the data manually, it must follow set timing for each type of voyage.

Applies toShipping companies operating a vessel of the United States on foreign, intercoastal, coastwise, bays or sounds, or Great Lakes voyages.

What it says

  1. A shipping company may electronically transmit certificate of discharge data to the electronic address the Coast Guard provides in § 14.103 of this part, at the end of each foreign, intercoastal, and coastwise voyage by a vessel of the United States.

    46 CFR 14.311(a)“the shipping company may electronically transmit the data from the certificates of discharge to the electronic address provided by the Coast Guard in § 14.103 of this part”

  2. The same electronic option applies to each voyage by a vessel that sails exclusively on bays or sounds.

    46 CFR 14.311(a)“or of each voyage by such a vessel that sails exclusively on bays or sounds”

  3. On the Great Lakes, the reporting point is the close of the season or when the vessel is withdrawn from service there, whichever occurs later.

    46 CFR 14.311(a)“(or by such a vessel at the close of the season on the Great Lakes, or once the vessel is withdrawn from service there, whichever occurs later)”

  4. If the data is submitted manually, shipping companies must provide the data for foreign and intercoastal voyages at the end of each voyage.

    46 CFR 14.311(b)“the shipping companies must provide the data for foreign and intercoastal voyages at the end of each voyage”

  5. For manual submission on coastwise voyages, shipping companies must submit a copy of each certificate of discharge to the address in § 14.103(a) at least once per calendar month.

    46 CFR 14.311(b)“the shipping companies must submit a copy of each certificate of discharge to the address in § 14.103(a) at least once per calendar month”

Common questions

Can a shipping company report mariner discharges electronically?

Yes. The shipping company may electronically transmit the certificate of discharge data to the electronic address the Coast Guard provides in § 14.103 of this part.

“the shipping company may electronically transmit the data from the certificates of discharge to the electronic address provided by the Coast Guard in § 14.103 of this part”

When must discharge data be submitted manually for foreign voyages?

If the data is submitted manually, shipping companies must provide the data for foreign and intercoastal voyages at the end of each voyage.

“the shipping companies must provide the data for foreign and intercoastal voyages at the end of each voyage”

How often must certificates of discharge be submitted for coastwise voyages?

For manual submission, shipping companies must submit a copy of each certificate of discharge at least once per calendar month to the address in § 14.103(a).

“the shipping companies must submit a copy of each certificate of discharge to the address in § 14.103(a) at least once per calendar month”

The text of 46 CFR 14.311

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Report of discharge of merchant mariner

(a) At the end of each foreign, intercoastal, and coastwise voyage by a vessel of the United States, or of each voyage by such a vessel that sails exclusively on bays or sounds (or by such a vessel at the close of the season on the Great Lakes, or once the vessel is withdrawn from service there, whichever occurs later), the shipping company may electronically transmit the data from the certificates of discharge to the electronic address provided by the Coast Guard in § 14.103 of this part .

(b) If the data is submitted manually, the shipping companies must provide the data for foreign and intercoastal voyages at the end of each voyage. For coastwise voyages or of each voyage by such a vessel that sails exclusively on bays or sounds (or by such a vessel at the close of the season of the Great Lakes, or once the vessel is withdrawn from service there, whichever occurs later), the shipping companies must submit a copy of each certificate of discharge to the address in § 14.103(a) at least once per calendar month.

Sections it refers to

The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.