[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 29, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S11125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HOLLINGS:
  S. 2526. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to issue 
a certificate of documentation with appropriate endorsement for 
employment in the coastwise trade for the vessel Little Toot; to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


      certificate of documentation for the vessel ``little toot''

 Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I am introducing a bill today to 
direct that the vessel Little Toot, Official Number 938858, be accorded 
coastwise trading privileges and be issued a certificate of 
documentation under section 12103 of title 46, U.S. Code.
  The Little Toot was constructed in Panama City, Florida in 1988. It 
is a tender vessel, which can be used also as a small tugboat, and was 
constructed by Marine Fabricators for Structures, Inc. It is 25.2 feet 
long, 12.2 feet wide, 4.1 feet deep, and self-propelled.
  The vessel was purchased by Marinex Construction Company, Inc. of 
Johns Island, South Carolina, which purchased it in 1997 for intended 
use as a working tugboat in the harbor of Charleston, SC. The vessel 
has never been registered with the Coast Guard and has been sold a 
number of times. U.S. documentation laws require documentary proof of 
continuous U.S. ownership. The current owner has not been able to 
locate all the necessary documentation to prove continuous U.S. 
ownership, and therefore I am introducing legislation to waive the 
requirements of the coastwise trade law.
  The owner of the Little Toot is seeking a waiver of the existing law 
because he wishes to use the vessel as a tugboat. His desired 
intentions for the vessel's use will not adversely affect the coastwise 
trade in U.S. waters. If he is granted this waiver, it is his intention 
to comply fully with U.S. documentation and safety requirements. The 
purpose of the legislation I am introducing is to allow the Little Toot 
to engage in the coastwise trade and the fisheries of the United 
States.
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