(a) A documented vessel shall not be titled by a State or required to display numbers under chapter 123, and any certificate of title issued by a State for a documented vessel shall be surrendered in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation.
(b) The Secretary may approve the surrender under subsection (a) of a certificate of title for a vessel covered by a preferred mortgage under section 31322(d) of this title only if the mortgagee consents.
(Added Pub. L. 105–383, title IV, §401(a)(2), Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3424.)