Appropriate official. "Appropriate official" means the master or commanding officer, or authorized agent, owner, or consignee, of a commercial vessel; this term and the term "carrier" are sometimes used interchangeably.
Carrier. See "Appropriate official."
Commercial vessel. "Commercial vessel" means any civilian vessel being used to transport persons or property for compensation or hire.
Crew member. "Crew member" means a person serving on board a vessel in good faith in any capacity required for normal operation and service of the voyage. In addition, the definition of "crew member" applicable to this section should not be applied in the context of other customs laws, to the extent this definition differs from the meaning of "crew member" contemplated in such other customs laws.
Emergency. "Emergency" means, with respect to a vessel arriving at a U.S. port due to an emergency, an urgent situation due to a mechanical, medical, or security problem affecting the voyage, or to an urgent situation affecting the non-U.S. port of destination that necessitates a detour to a U.S. port.
Ferry. "Ferry" means any vessel which is being used to provide transportation only between places that are no more than 300 miles apart and which is being used to transport only passengers and/or vehicles, or railroad cars, which are being used, or have been used, in transporting passengers or goods.
Passenger. "Passenger" means any person being transported on a commercial vessel who is not a crew member.
United States. "United States" means the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (beginning November 28, 2009).
19 C.F.R. §4.7b