46 CFR 144.320: Freeing ports and closures for weathertight integrity
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026
This section covers how a vessel keeps water off the deck and out of the hull. Vessels with bulwarks must have enough freeing ports or scuppers. Openings to the exterior that may let water in must have closure devices suitable for the expected route.
Applies toParagraph (a) applies to each vessel fitted with installed bulwarks around the exterior of the main deck; paragraph (b) applies to deckhouse or hull penetrations that open to the exterior and may allow water to enter.
What it says
Each vessel fitted with installed bulwarks around the exterior of the main deck must have enough freeing ports, scuppers, or a combination of both.
46 CFR 144.320(a)“Each vessel fitted with installed bulwarks around the exterior of the main deck must have sufficient freeing ports or scuppers or a combination of freeing ports and scuppers”
The freeing ports or scuppers must let water run off the deck quickly without adversely affecting the vessel's stability.
46 CFR 144.320(a)“to allow water to run off the deck quickly without adversely affecting the stability of the vessel.”
Closure devices must be provided for deckhouse or hull penetrations that open to the exterior of the vessel and may allow water to enter the vessel.
46 CFR 144.320(b)“Closure devices must be provided for deckhouse or hull penetrations, which open to the exterior of the vessel and which may allow water to enter the vessel.”
These closure devices must be suitable for the expected route.
46 CFR 144.320(b)“These devices must be suitable for the expected route.”
Common questions
Do vessels with bulwarks need freeing ports or scuppers?
Yes. Each vessel fitted with installed bulwarks around the exterior of the main deck must have sufficient freeing ports, scuppers, or a combination of both.
“Each vessel fitted with installed bulwarks around the exterior of the main deck must have sufficient freeing ports or scuppers or a combination of freeing ports and scuppers”
How quickly must freeing ports and scuppers clear water from the deck?
They must allow water to run off the deck quickly. They must do so without adversely affecting the vessel's stability.
“to allow water to run off the deck quickly without adversely affecting the stability of the vessel.”
What closures are required for hull and deckhouse openings?
Closure devices must be provided for deckhouse or hull penetrations that open to the exterior and may allow water in. They must be suitable for the expected route.
“These devices must be suitable for the expected route.”
The text of 46 CFR 144.320
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR
Watertight or weathertight integrity
(a) Each vessel fitted with installed bulwarks around the exterior of the main deck must have sufficient freeing ports or scuppers or a combination of freeing ports and scuppers to allow water to run off the deck quickly without adversely affecting the stability of the vessel.
(b) Closure devices must be provided for deckhouse or hull penetrations, which open to the exterior of the vessel and which may allow water to enter the vessel. These devices must be suitable for the expected route.
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.