U.S. Code > Appendix to Title 46 > CHAPTER 27—MERCHANT MARINE ACT, 1936 (§§ 1101—1295g) > SUBCHAPTER XIII—MARITIME EDUCATION AND TRAINING (§§ 1295—1295g) > § 1295d. Additional training

§ 1295d. Additional training

(a) In general
The Secretary may provide additional training on maritime subjects, as the Secretary deems necessary, to supplement other training opportunities and may make any such training available to the personnel of the merchant marine of the United States and to individuals preparing for a career in the merchant marine of the United States.
(b) Equipment or supplies required for training
The Secretary may prepare or purchase any equipment or supplies required for any training provided under subsection (a) of this section and may contract with any person, partnership, firm, association, or corporation (without regard to section 5 of title 41) for the performance of any services deemed necessary by the Secretary in the preparation of any such equipment or supplies and in the supervision and administration of any such training.
(c) Oil pollution prevention, response, and clean-up program
(1) The Secretary shall assist maritime training institutions approved by the Secretary in establishing a maritime oil pollution prevention, response, and clean-up training program.
(2) Under the program established under paragraph (1)—
(A) the Secretary may provide, to maritime training institutions approved by the Secretary, vessels described in paragraph (4), with title free of all liens, subject to the requirements specified under paragraph (3); and
(B) in return for receipt of such vessels, such institutions shall—
(i) employ the vessels for the training of students and appropriate maritime industry personnel in oil spill prevention, response, clean-up, and related skills; and
(ii) make the vessels and qualified students available to appropriate Federal, State, and local oil spill response authorities in the event of a maritime oil spill.
(3) The requirements referred to in paragraph (2)(A) are as follows:
(i) any vessel provided under paragraph (2)(A) shall be tendered to the approved maritime training institution at a location determined by the Secretary;
(ii) no such vessel may be sold, traded, chartered, donated, scrapped, or in any way altered or disposed of without the prior approval of the Secretary;
(iii) no such vessel may be used in competition with any privately-owned vessel documented under the laws of the United States or any State, unless necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection;
(iv) any approved maritime training institution in possession of such a vessel which can no longer utilize the vessel for training purposes shall return the vessel to the Secretary, who shall take possession of the vessel at the training institution and thereafter may dispose of the vessel, or provide the vessel to another approved maritime training institution, as the Secretary determines appropriate; and
(v) such other requirements or conditions as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(4) The vessels referred to in paragraph (2)(A) are United States-built offshore supply vessels and United States-built tug/supply vessels in the possession of the Maritime Administration as a result of defaults on loans guaranteed under subchapter XI of this chapter.