46 CFR 140.705: Charts and nautical publications for towing vessels

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section sets chart and publication requirements for certain towing vessels. A towing vessel must carry adequate and up-to-date charts, maps, and nautical publications for the intended voyage. Extracts or copies of the publications may be carried if they apply to the route.

Applies toThis section applies to a towing vessel not subject to the requirements of 33 CFR 164.72.

What it says

  1. This section applies only to a towing vessel that is not subject to the requirements of 33 CFR 164.72.

    46 CFR 140.705(a)“This section applies to a towing vessel not subject to the requirements of 33 CFR 164.72.”

  2. A towing vessel must carry adequate and up-to-date charts, maps, and nautical publications for the intended voyage.

    46 CFR 140.705(b)“A towing vessel must carry adequate and up-to-date charts, maps, and nautical publications for the intended voyage, including:”

  3. A towing vessel must carry charts of appropriate scale to make safe navigation possible, and these may include electronic charts acceptable to the Coast Guard.

    46 CFR 140.705(b)(1)“Charts, including electronic charts acceptable to the Coast Guard, of appropriate scale to make safe navigation possible.”

  4. Towing vessels operating on the Western Rivers must have maps of appropriate scale issued by the Army Corps of Engineers or a river authority.

    46 CFR 140.705(b)(1)“Towing vessels operating on the Western Rivers must have maps of appropriate scale issued by the Army Corps of Engineers or a river authority;”

  5. A towing vessel must carry the "U.S. Coast Pilot" or a similar publication.

    46 CFR 140.705(b)(2)““U.S. Coast Pilot” or similar publication;”

  6. A towing vessel must carry the Coast Guard light list.

    46 CFR 140.705(b)(3)“Coast Guard light list; and”

  7. Extracts or copies from the listed publications may be carried, as long as they are applicable to the route.

    46 CFR 140.705(c)“Extracts or copies from the publications listed in paragraph (b) of this section may be carried, so long as they are applicable to the route.”

Common questions

Can a towing vessel use electronic charts?

Yes, the charts may include electronic charts acceptable to the Coast Guard. They must be of appropriate scale to make safe navigation possible.

“Charts, including electronic charts acceptable to the Coast Guard, of appropriate scale to make safe navigation possible.”

Can a towing vessel carry copies of publications instead of full ones?

Yes. Extracts or copies of the publications listed in paragraph (b) may be carried, so long as they are applicable to the route.

“Extracts or copies from the publications listed in paragraph (b) of this section may be carried, so long as they are applicable to the route.”

What maps must towing vessels on the Western Rivers have?

They must have maps of appropriate scale issued by the Army Corps of Engineers or a river authority.

“Towing vessels operating on the Western Rivers must have maps of appropriate scale issued by the Army Corps of Engineers or a river authority;”

The text of 46 CFR 140.705

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

Charts and nautical publications

(a) This section applies to a towing vessel not subject to the requirements of 33 CFR 164.72.

(b) A towing vessel must carry adequate and up-to-date charts, maps, and nautical publications for the intended voyage, including:

(1) Charts, including electronic charts acceptable to the Coast Guard, of appropriate scale to make safe navigation possible. Towing vessels operating on the Western Rivers must have maps of appropriate scale issued by the Army Corps of Engineers or a river authority;

(2) “U.S. Coast Pilot” or similar publication;

(3) Coast Guard light list; and

(4) Towing vessels that operate the Western Rivers must have river stage(s) or Water Surface Elevations as appropriate to the trip or route, as published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or a river authority, must be available to the person in charge of the navigation watch.

(c) Extracts or copies from the publications listed in paragraph (b) of this section may be carried, so long as they are applicable to the route.

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.