---
kind: "section"
citation: "46 U.S.C. § 30916"
title: "46"
title_heading: "Shipping"
number: "30916"
heading: "Recovery by the United States for salvage services"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/46/30916"
units:
  - "Subtitle III — Maritime Liability"
  - "Chapter 309 — Suits in Admiralty Against the United States"
---

# §30916. Recovery by the United States for salvage services

- (a) **Civil Action.—** The [United States](/usc/46/114.md), and the crew of a merchant [vessel](/usc/46/115.md) owned or operated by the [United States](/usc/46/114.md), or a [federally-owned corporation](/usc/46/30902.md), may bring a civil action to recover for salvage services provided by the [vessel](/usc/46/115.md) and crew.
- (b) **Deposit of Amounts Recovered.—** Any amount recovered under this section by the [United States](/usc/46/114.md) for its own benefit, and not for the benefit of the crew, shall be deposited in the Treasury to the credit of the department of the [United States](/usc/46/114.md) Government, or the corporation, having [control](/usc/46/12113.md?p=c-2) of the possession or operation of the [vessel](/usc/46/115.md).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 109–304, § 6(c), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1520.)

## Notes

| Historical and Revision Notes |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Revised<br>Section | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| 30916 | 46 App.:750. | Mar. 9, 1920, ch. 95, § 10, 41 Stat. 528; Pub. L. 97–31, § 12(25)(D), Aug. 6, 1981, 95 Stat. 155. |

In subsection (a), the words “may bring a civil action to recover” are substituted for “shall have the right to collect and sue” for consistency in this chapter and to eliminate unnecessary words.