Section 3311 prohibits the operation of a vessel subject to inspection without having on board a valid certificate of inspection.

1984—Pub. L. 98–498 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), substituted “Except as provided in subsection (b), a vessel” for “A vessel”, struck out “valid” before “certificate of inspection”, and added subsec. (b).

Section effective Apr. 15, 1984, see section 2(g)(1) of Pub. L. 98–89, set out as a note under section 3101 of this title.