Maritime Safety Act of 2000

Maritime Safety Act of 2000 - Amends Federal shipping law to prohibit any nontank (and non- fishing) vessel over 300 gross tons carrying oil as fuel from operating on U.S. navigable waters without an approved response plan for the prevention, containment, and cleanup of oil spills and for the protection from such a spill of fisheries and wildlife, natural resources, and public and private property. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to issue minimum requirements for such plans. Prescribes procedures for submittal, review, and the Secretary's approval of such plans.

Increases the maximum liability of nontank vessels for oil spills to the greater of : (1) $806 (currently $600) per gross ton; or (2) $672,000 (currently $500,000).

Requires any passenger vessel, small passenger vessel, and freight vessel (including a foreign vessel) subject to inspection to be equipped with a voyage data recorder of a type prescribed by the Secretary.

Requires the Secretary to prescribe regulations for the immediate investigation of responses to marine casualties.

Requires certain vessels, including small passenger and towing vessels, to be equipped with a position indicating transponder and an appropriate situation display or other device suitable for accessing information made available by the transponder system.

Authorizes the Secretary to prohibit the loading or unloading of a vessel in any port or place subject to U.S. jurisdiction if the vessel is registered in a country that fails to adequately enforce safety standards prescribed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on: (1) the five such countries with the greatest number of registered vessels detained by the Coast Guard in 1999 for violation of such safety standards; and (2) whether those countries have, since December 31, 1999, adequately enforced such standards.

Directs the Secretary to seek to negotiate at the IMO the elimination of single hull bunker tanks on commercial vessels capable of carrying more than 1,000 barrels of fuel on board.