46 U.S.C. § 31301

In this chapter— (1) “acknowledge” means making— (A) an acknowledgment or notarization before a notary public or other official authorized by a law of the United States or a State to take acknowledgments of deeds; or (B) a certificate issued under the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, 1961; (2) “district court” means— (A) a district court of the United States (as defined in section 451 of title 28 ); (B) the District Court of Guam; (C) the District Court of the Virgin Islands; (D) the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands; (E) the High Court of American Samoa; and (F) any other court of original jurisdiction of a territory or possession of the United States; (3) “mortgagee” means— (A) a person to whom property is mortgaged; or (B) when a mortgage on a vessel involves a trust, the trustee that is designated in the trust agreement; (4) “necessaries” includes repairs, supplies, towage, and the use of a dry dock or marine railway; (5) “preferred maritime lien” means a maritime lien on a vessel— (A) arising before a preferred mortgage was filed under section 31321 of this title ; (B) for damage arising out of maritime tort; (C) for wages of a stevedore when employed directly by a person listed in section 31341 of this title ; (D) for wages of the crew of the vessel; (E) for general average; or (F) for salvage, including contract salvage; (6) “preferred mortgage”— (A) means a mortgage that is a preferred mortgage under section 31322 of this title ; and (B) also means in sections 31325 and 31326 of this title, a mortgage, hypothecation, or similar charge that is established as a security on a foreign vessel if the mortgage, hypothecation, or similar charge was executed under the laws of the foreign country under whose laws the ownership of the vessel is documented and has been registered under those laws in a public register at the port of registry of the vessel or at a central office; and (7) “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, unless otherwise noted.