Vessels.

(1) Existing law prohibits an owner or operator of a large passenger vessel or oceangoing ship from releasing or permitting anyone to release specified substances from the vessel or ship into the marine waters of the state or a marine sanctuary. Existing law excludes from those requirements a large passenger vessel or oceangoing ship that operates in the marine waters of the state, as that term is defined, solely in innocent passage, and discharges made for the purpose of securing the safety of the vessel or ship or saving life at sea if specified precautions are taken. The act provides that for purposes of that exclusion, a vessel is engaged in innocent passage if its operation in state waters would constitute innocent passage under specified conventions. This bill instead would provide that for purposes of that exclusion, a vessel is engaged in innocent passage if its operation in the marine waters of the state would constitute innocent passage under those specified conventions. (2) Existing law requires certain statutes relating to the release of sewage from specified vessels traveling in the marine waters of the state to be repealed on January 1, 2010. This bill instead would extend the operation of these statutes to January 1, 2014. This bill would also make other conforming changes.