Many vessel owners have experienced hardships during major hurricanes like Maria, Dorian and Ian. If your vessel has been considered a complete loss, you may apply to remove it from Documentation.
In order to delete your vessel from the Coast Guard Database, you may file for a Letter of Deletion and pay the appropriate fees via this web link:
https://unitedstatesvessel.us/deletion-cod/
This, in effect, will remove your Personally Identifyable Information from the Coast Guard Port State Information Exchange (PSIX) and NOAA search databases, and will purge your Hull Identification Number from active records.
-IF SEEKING COASTWISE AND FISHERY PRIVILEGES-
46 CFR § 67.133 Wrecked vessels.
(a) A vessel owner requesting a determination that the vessel is wrecked within the meaning of 46 U.S.C. 12107 must submit the following to the Director, National Vessel Documentation Center:
(1) Competent and persuasive evidence of the occasion and location of the casualty. Coast Guard situation or investigation reports are acceptable as casualty evidence. Other competent and persuasive evidence may be accepted in the discretion of the Director, National Vessel Documentation Center.
(2) A writing setting forth the physical location of the vessel, containing a guarantee that the requesting party assumes full responsibility for all costs, liabilities, and other expenses that arise in conjunction with the services performed by the board of appraisers, and stating that at the time of documentation the vessel will be owned by a citizen of the United States.
(b) In addition to other submissions required by this part, a vessel owner applying for a Certificate of Documentation for a vessel accorded privileges by the Wrecked Vessel Statute 46 U.S.C. 12107 must include a copy of the determination of the Director, National Vessel Documentation Center that the vessel qualifies for documentation under the statute.
Note: The determination of the appraised salved value must be made by a board of three appraisers appointed by the Director, National Vessel Documentation Center. The board must determine that the repairs made upon the vessel are equal to three times the appraised salvage value. The determination of the appraised salvage value will include consideration of the fact that if the vessel is found in compliance with the Wrecked Vessel Statute it will attain coastwise and fishery privileges. The cost of the board must be borne by the applicant.[CGD 89-007, CGD 89-007a, 58 FR 60266, Nov. 15, 1993; 58 FR 65131, Dec. 13, 1993, as amended by CGD 95-014, 60 FR 31604, June 15, 1995; USCG-1998-4442, 63 FR 52191, Sept. 30, 1998; USCG-2016-0531, 82 FR 43864, Sept. 20, 2017]
