46 U.S.C. § 14701 — General violation

This section covers violations of this part of the law, or of a regulation written under this part, by a vessel. Several people connected to the vessel are each liable to the federal government for a civil penalty of up to $20,000: the owner, the charterer, the managing operator, the agent, the master, and the individual in charge of the vessel. Each day the violation keeps happening counts as its own separate violation, meaning the penalty can add up day by day. The vessel itself is also liable "in rem" for the penalty. That means the government can go after the ship itself, not just the people responsible for it.