46 U.S.C. § 55112 — Vessel escort operations and towing assistance

(a) In General. Except for a vessel in distress, only a U.S. vessel can perform escort operations in U.S. navigable waters when those operations: (1) start or end at a U.S. port; (2) are required by U.S. law or regulation; or (3) happen wholly or partly within, or through, navigation facilities the U.S. government owns, maintains, or runs (or their approaches) — except facilities the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation runs on the St. Lawrence River part of the Seaway. (b) Escort Vessels. For this section, an "escort vessel" is: (1) any vessel assigned and dedicated to help another vessel — whether or not tied to it — purely as a safety precaution, to help control the other vessel's speed or course if its steering or propulsion fails, or in a similar emergency, or in tight waters where extra help maneuvering is needed for safety; and (2) for a vessel being towed under section 55111, any vessel dedicated to that towed vessel in addition to the required tow vessel. (c) Relationship to Other Law. This section doesn't change or affect section 55111. (d) Penalty. Anyone who violates this section owes the government a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each day the violation continues.