The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (Public Law No.
111-281, October 15, 2010) (the "Authorization Act") was
signed into law by President Obama on October 15, 2010. This
legislation represents the first major piece of maritime
legislation enacted by Congress in four years when both the Coast
Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 and the Security and
Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006 (commonly known as the
SAFE Port Act) were enacted.
The Authorization Act includes measures to address Coast Guard
Modernization and reform of the acquisition directorate of the
Coast Guard, and ensure that maritime safety is put on an equal
footing with other Coast Guard responsibilities. It also includes
measures relating to oil pollution prevention, port security,
implementation of the Convention on the Control of Harmful
Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships (2001), and general maritime safety
laws that have been under consideration since 2006. Specifically,
the
