USC › Title 46 › §3134246 U.S.C. § 31342Verified against govinfo.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on govinfo.gov ↗Copy link(a)Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a person providing necessaries to a vessel on the order of the owner or a person authorized by the owner—(1)has a maritime lien on the vessel;(2)may bring a civil action in rem to enforce the lien; and(3)is not required to allege or prove in the action that credit was given to the vessel.(b)This section does not apply to a public vessel.