U.S. Code » Title 18 » Part PART I— CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 111A— DESTRUCTION OF, OR INTERFERENCE WITH, VESSELS OR MARITIME FACILITIES

18 U.S.C. § 2291

Destruction of vessel or maritime facility

Read at: OLRCuscode.house.gov CornellLII GovInfogovinfo.gov JustiaTitle 18 CasesGoogle Scholar
(a)Offense.—Whoever knowingly—(1) sets fire to, damages, destroys, disables, or wrecks any vessel;(2) places or causes to be placed a destructive device, as defined in section 921(a)(4), destructive substance, as defined in section 31(a)(3), or an explosive, as defined in section 844(j) in, upon, or near, or otherwise makes or causes to be made unworkable or unusable or hazardous to work or use, any vessel, or any part or other materials used or intended to be used in connection with the operation of a vessel;(3) sets fire to, damages, destroys, or disables or places a destructive device or substance in, upon, or near, any maritime facility, including any aid to navigation, lock, canal, or vessel traffic service facility or equipment;(4) interferes by force or violence with the operation of any maritime facility, including any aid to navigation, lock, canal, or vessel traffic service facility or equipment, if such action is likely to endanger the safety of any vessel in navigation;(5) sets fire to, damages, destroys, or disables or places a destructive device or substance in, upon, or near, any appliance, structure, property, machine, or apparatus, or any facility or other material used, or intended to be used, in connection with the operation, maintenance, loading, unloading, or storage of any vessel or any passenger or cargo carried or intended to be carried on any vessel;(6) performs an act of violence against or incapacitates any individual on any vessel, if such act of violence or incapacitation is likely to endanger the safety of the vessel or those on board;(7) performs an act of violence against a person that causes or is likely to cause serious bodily injury, as defined in section 1365(h)(3), in, upon, or near, any appliance, structure, property, machine, or apparatus, or any facility or other material used, or intended to be used, in connection with the operation, maintenance, loading, unloading, or storage of any vessel or any passenger or cargo carried or intended to be carried on any vessel;(8) communicates information, knowing the information to be false and under circumstances in which such information may reasonably be believed, thereby endangering the safety of any vessel in navigation; or(9) attempts or conspires to do anything prohibited under paragraphs (1) through (8),shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.(b)Limitation.—Subsection (a) shall not apply to any person that is engaging in otherwise lawful activity, such as normal repair and salvage activities, and the transportation of hazardous materials regulated and allowed to be transported under chapter 51 of title 49.(c)Penalty.—Whoever is fined or imprisoned under subsection (a) as a result of an act involving a vessel that, at the time of the violation, carried high-level radioactive waste (as that term is defined in section 2(12) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101(12)) 11 So in original. There probably should be an additional closing parenthesis. or spent nuclear fuel (as that term is defined in section 2(23) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101(23)),1 shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for a term up to life, or both.(d)Penalty When Death Results.—Whoever is convicted of any crime prohibited by subsection (a) and intended to cause death by the prohibited conduct, if the conduct resulted in the death of any person, shall be subject also to the death penalty or to a term of imprisonment for a period up to life.(e)Threats.—Whoever knowingly and intentionally imparts or conveys any threat to do an act which would violate this chapter, with an apparent determination and will to carry the threat into execution, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both, and is liable for all costs incurred as a result of such threat.(Added Pub. L. 109–177, title III, § 306(a), Mar. 9, 2006, 120 Stat. 237.)
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 11 cases (5 in the last 5 years), 2010–2026 · leading case: United States v. Mohamed Said
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
United States v. Mohamed Said (2015) ca4 · cites it 4× “*189 § 1659 ; performing an act of violence against an individual on a vessel, in contravention of 18 U.S.C. § 2291 (a)(6); and using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in violation of 18 ■ U.”
United States v. Hasan (2010) vaed · cites it 5× “The Superseding Indictment comprised the six counts of the original Indictment plus eight additional counts: (1) Acts of Violence Against Persons on a Vessel, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2291 (a)(6), 2290(a)(2), 3238, and 2; (2) Conspiracy to Perform an Act of Violence Against…”
United States v. Dire (2012) ca4 · cites it 2× “§ 1659 ); • Count Three — Act of violence against persons on a vessel ( 18 U.S.C. §§ 2291 (a)(6) and 2290(a)(2)); • Count Four — Conspiracy to perform an act of violence against persons on a vessel ( 18 U.”
United States v. Servando Alvarado-Casas (2013) ca5 “§ 2281 (a)(1); 18 U.S.C. § 2291 (d); 18 U.S.C. § 2332a(a)-(b); 18 U.”
United States v. Said (2010) vaed · cites it 2× “§ 1659 , Attack to Plunder a Vessel, having a penalty of ten years imprisonment; 18 U.S.C. § 2291 (a)(6), Acts of Violence Against Persons on a Vessel, having a penalty of twenty years imprisonment; 18 U.”
United States v. Said (2014) vaed · cites it 2× “§ 1201 (c) (any term of years or life imprisonment) • Count 3: Conspiracy to Perform Act of Violence Against Persons on a Vessel, 18 U.S.C. § 2291 (a)(9) (0-20 years of imprisonment) • Count 4: Conspiracy Involving Firearm and a Crime of Violence, 18 U.”
United States v. Abdi Osman (2024) ca4 · cites it 2× “3 § 1201(c); (3) conspiracy to perform an act of violence against persons on a vessel, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2291 (a)(9); (4) conspiracy to use and possess a firearm during a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.”
United States v. Nathaniel Becker (2024) ca4 “USCA4 Appeal: 22-4693 Doc: 42 Filed: 01/17/2024 Pg: 2 of 4 PER CURIAM: Nathaniel Blayn Becker was convicted after a jury trial of two counts of placing a pipe bomb on a vessel, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2291 (a)(2), and two counts of possessing an unregistered destructive…”
Lallave v. Martinez (2022) nyed “19 for convictions under 18 U.S.C. § 2291 , “relating to the destruc- tion of a vessel or maritime facility, but only if the conduct that led to the conviction involved a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury.”
Lallave v. Carvajal (2022) nyed “19 for convictions under 18 U.S.C. § 2291 , “relating to the destruc- tion of a vessel or maritime facility, but only if the conduct that led to the conviction involved a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury.”
United States v. Smith (2026) ca10 “§ 1992 (a)–(b) (bolding omitted); a statute that prohibits acts leading to “serious bodily injury” during the “[d]estruction of vessel or maritime facility,” 18 U.S.C. § 2291 (a)(7) (bolding omitted); a statute criminalizing acts of violence against federal officials, 18 U.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.