46 U.S.C. § 70022 — Prohibition on entry and operation

(a)(1) Unless this section provides otherwise, a vessel^* described in (b) may not enter or operate in United States navigable waters or transfer cargo in a United States port or place. (2)(A) The ban does not apply to a vessel in (b)(1) if the Secretary of State^* finds its country closely cooperates with the United States in implementing applicable United Nations Security Council resolutions, or finds that national security requires an exception. It also does not apply to a vessel in (b)(2) if the Secretary of State finds it is no longer registered as described there. (B) Within 15 days of such a finding, the Secretary of State must give written notice and the reasons to the specified House and Senate committees. (C) The finding must be published in the Federal Register. (b) The covered vessel is a foreign vessel^* required to file a notice of arrival under section 70001(a)(5) that: (1) is on the latest list published under (c)(2); or (2) more than 180 days after that list’s publication, is knowingly registered under the 1958 Convention on the High Seas by a government whose agents or instrumentalities maintain registration of a listed vessel. (c) With the Secretary of State’s agreement, the Coast Guard’s department Secretary must keep current information on foreign vessels over 300 gross tons known to be owned or operated by North Korea or a North Korean person; by a country whose seaport operator the President named in the latest report under the specified North Korea Act; or by a country the President identified as not complying with applicable Security Council resolutions. The Secretary must periodically publish that list in the Federal Register. (d) The Secretary of State must notify each government maintaining such a registration within 30 days after publication that its registered vessels are subject to (a). If it continues the registration, the Secretary must issue another notice within 120 days after publication. (e) When receiving a notice of arrival from a covered vessel, the Coast Guard’s department Secretary must tell its master that it may not enter, operate, or transfer cargo unless the Secretary of State made (a)(2) finding or the Coast Guard’s department Secretary allows provisional entry or cargo transfer under (f). (f) That Secretary may allow provisional entry or cargo transfer when needed for the vessel’s or people’s safety. (g) This section does not authorize restricting innocent passage or transit passage recognized by international law.