Except as provided in section 30506 of this title, the
liability of the owner of a vessel for any claim, debt, or
liability described in subsection (b) shall not exceed the value of the vessel and pending freight," the law says.
A Ride the Ducks Branson vessel capsized and sank July 19 on a lake near Branson, Missouri, as a severe thunderstorm whipped up intense winds and waves. Seventeen people, aged 1 to 76, drowned, including one crew member.