Summary of Conventions

Signatories

Country	Status	Year
Albania	ratified	25-May-1993
Algeria	ratified	31-Oct-1963
Angola	ratified	06-Jun-1977
Antigua and Barbuda	ratified	13-Jan-1986
Argentina	pending	17-Mar-1958
Australia	ratified	17-Mar-1958
Austria	ratified	02-Apr-1975
Azerbaijan	ratified	15-May-1995
Bahamas	ratified	29-Jul-1976
Bahrain	ratified	22-Sep-1976
Bangladesh	ratified	27-May-1976
Barbados	ratified	07-Jan-1970
Belgium	pending	17-Mar-1958
Belize	ratified	13-Sep-1990
Benin	ratified	19-Mar-1990
Bolivia	ratified	06-Jul-1987
Bosnia and Herzegovina	ratified	16-Jul-1993
Brazil	ratified	04-Mar-1963
Brunei Darussalam	ratified	31-Dec-1984
Bulgaria	ratified	05-Apr-1960
Cambodia	ratified	03-Jan-1963
Cameroon	ratified	01-May-1961
Canada	ratified	17-Mar-1958
Cape Verde	ratified	24-Aug-1976
Chile	ratified	17-Feb-1972
China	ratified	01-Mar-1973
Colombia	ratified	19-Nov-1974
Congo, D.R. of	ratified	16-Aug-1973
Congo, R. of	ratified	05-Sep-1975
Costa Rica	ratified	04-Mar-1981
Côte d'Ivoire	ratified	04-Nov-1960
Croatia	ratified	08-Jul-1992
Cuba	ratified	06-May-1966
Cyprus	ratified	21-Nov-1973
Czech Republic	ratified	18-Jun-1993
Denmark	ratified	03-Jun-1959
Djibouti	ratified	20-Feb-1979
Dominica	ratified	18-Dec-1979
Dominican Republic	ratified	17-Mar-1958
Ecuador	ratified	17-Mar-1958
Egypt	ratified	17-Mar-1958
El Salvador	ratified	12-Feb-1981
Equatorial Guinea	ratified	06-Sep-1972
Eritrea	ratified	31-Aug-1993
Estonia	ratified	31-Jan-1992
Ethiopia	ratified	03-Jul-1975
Fiji	ratified	14-Mar-1983
Finland	ratified	21-Apr-1959
France	pending	17-Mar-1958
Gabon	ratified	01-Apr-1976
Gambia	ratified	11-Jan-1979
Georgia	ratified	22-Jun-1993
Germany, Fed. Rep.	ratified	07-Jan-1959
Ghana	ratified	06-Jul-1959
Greece	ratified	31-Dec-1958
Guatemala	ratified	16-Mar-1983
Guinea	ratified	03-Dec-1975
Guinea-Bissau	ratified	06-Dec-1977
Guyana	ratified	13-May-1980
Haiti	ratified	17-Mar-1958
Honduras	pending	17-Mar-1958
Hungary	ratified	10-Jun-1970
Iceland	ratified	08-Nov-1960
India	ratified	06-Jan-1959
Indonesia	ratified	18-Jan-1961
Iran, Islamic R. of	pending	17-Mar-1958
Iraq	ratified	28-Aug-1973
Ireland	ratified	17-Mar-1958
Israel	ratified	17-Mar-1958
Italy	pending	17-Mar-1958
Jamaica	ratified	11-May-1976
Japan	ratified	04-Nov-1960
Jordan	ratified	09-Nov-1973
Kazakhstan	ratified	11-Mar-1976
Kenya	ratified	22-Aug-1973
Korea, D.P.R. of	ratified	16-Apr-1986
Korea, R. of	ratified	10-Apr-1962
Kuwait	ratified	05-Jul-1960
Latvia	ratified	01-Mar-1993
Lebanon	ratified	03-May-1966
Liberia	ratified	06-Jan-1959
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	ratified	16-Feb-1970
Lithuania	ratified	07-Dec-1995
Luxembourg	ratified	14-Feb-1991
Macedonia	ratified	13-Oct-1993
Madagascar	ratified	08-Mar-1961
Malawi	ratified	19-Jan-1989
Malaysia	ratified	17-Jun-1971
Maldives	ratified	31-May-1967
Malta	ratified	22-Jun-1966
Mauritania	ratified	08-May-1961
Mauritius	ratified	18-May-1978
Mexico	ratified	17-Mar-1958
Moldova, R. of	ratified	26-May-1993
Monaco	ratified	22-Dec-1989
Morocco	ratified	30-Jul-1962
Mozambique	ratified	17-Jan-1979
Myanmar	ratified	17-Mar-1963
Namibia	ratified	27-Oct-1994
Nepal	ratified	31-Jan-1979
Netherlands	pending	17-Mar-1958
New Zealand	ratified	09-Nov-1960
Nicaragua	ratified	17-Mar-1982
Nigeria	ratified	15-Mar-1962
Norway	ratified	29-Dec-1958
Oman	ratified	30-Jan-1974
Pakistan	ratified	21-Nov-1958
Panama	ratified	31-Dec-1958
Papua New Guinea	ratified	06-May-1976
Paraguay	ratified	15-Mar-1993
Peru	ratified	15-Apr-1968
Philippines	ratified	09-Nov-1964
Poland	ratified	16-Mar-1960
Portugal	ratified	17-Mar-1976
Qatar	ratified	19-May-1977
Romania	ratified	28-Apr-1965
Russian Federation	ratified	24-Dec-1958
Saint Lucia	ratified	10-Apr-1980
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	ratified	29-Apr-1981
Sao Tome and Principe	ratified	09-Jul-1990
Saudi Arabia	ratified	25-Feb-1969
Senegal	ratified	07-Nov-1960
Seychelles	ratified	13-Jun-1978
Sierra Leone	ratified	14-Mar-1973
Singapore	ratified	17-Jan-1966
Slovakia	ratified	24-Mar-1993
Slovenia	ratified	10-Feb-1993
Solomon Islands	ratified	27-Jun-1988
Somalia	ratified	04-Apr-1978
South Africa	ratified	28-Feb-1995
Spain	ratified	23-Jan-1962
Sri Lanka	ratified	06-Apr-1972
Sudan	ratified	05-Jul-1974
Suriname	ratified	14-Oct-1976
Sweden	ratified	27-Apr-1959
Switzerland	pending	17-Mar-1958
Syrian Arab Republic	ratified	28-Jan-1963
Tanzania, United R. of	ratified	08-Jan-1974
Thailand	ratified	20-Sep-1973
Togo	ratified	20-Jun-1983
Trinidad and Tobago	ratified	27-Apr-1965
Tunisia	ratified	23-May-1963
Turkey	ratified	25-Mar-1958
Turkmenistán	ratified	26-Aug-1993
Ukraine	ratified	28-Mar-1994
United Arab Emirates	ratified	04-Mar-1980
United Kingdom	pending	17-Mar-1958
Uruguay	ratified	10-May-1968
USA (contiguous states)	pending	17-Mar-1954
Vanuatu	ratified	21-Oct-1986
Venezuela	ratified	27-Oct-1975
Viet Nam	ratified	12-Jun-1984
Yemen	ratified	14-Mar-1979

Language
English
French
Spanish

Document text

	
	International Conventions

The industrial revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and the upsurge in international commerce which resulted led to the adoption of a number of international treaties related to shipping, including safety. The subjects covered included tonnage measurement, the prevention of collisions, signaling and others. By the end of the nineteenth century suggestions had even been made for the creation of a permanent international maritime body to deal with these and future measures.

The plan was not put into effect, but international cooperation continued in the twentieth century, with the adoption of still more internationally developed treaties. By the time IMO came into existence in 1958, several important international conventions had already been developed, including the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea of 1948, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil of 1954 and treaties dealing with load lines and the prevention of collisions at sea. 

IMO was made responsible for ensuring that the majority of these conventions were kept up to date. It was also given the task of developing new conventions as and when the need arose. The creation of IMO coincided with a period of tremendous change in world shipping and the Organization was kept busy from the start developing new conventions and ensuring that existing instruments kept pace with changes in shipping technology. It is now responsible for more than 40 international conventions and agreements and has adopted numerous protocols and amendments. 

Adopting a convention

This is the part of the process with which IMO as an organization is most closely involved. IMO has six main bodies
concerned with the adoption or implementation of conventions. The Assembly and Council are the main organs, and the committees involved are the Maritime Safety Committee, Marine Environment Protection Committee, Legal Committee and the Facilitation Committee. Developments in shipping and other related industries are discussed by Member States in these bodies, and the need for a new convention or amendments to existing conventions can be raised in any of them. 

Normally the suggestion is first made in one of the committees, since these meet more frequently than the main organs. If agreement is reached in the committee, the proposal goes to the Council and, as necessary, to the Assembly. If the Assembly or the Council, as the case may be, gives the authorization to proceed with the work, the committee concerned considers the matter in greater detail and ultimately draws up a draft instrument. 

In some cases the subject may be referred to a specialized subcommittee for detailed consideration. Work in the
committees and subcommittees is undertaken by the representatives of Member States of the Organization. The views and advice of intergovernmental and international nongovernmental organizations which have a working relationship with IMO are also welcomed in these bodies. Many of these organizations have direct experience in the various matters under consideration, and are therefore able to assist the work of IMO in practical ways. 

The draft convention which is agreed upon is reported to the Council and Assembly with a recommendation that a
conference be convened to consider the draft for formal adoption. Invitations to attend such a conference are sent to all Member States of IMO and also to all States which are members of the United Nations or any of its specialized agencies.


These conferences are therefore truly global conferences open to all Governments who would normally participate in a United Nations conference. All Governments participate on an equal footing. In addition, organizations of the United Nations system and organizations in official relationship with IMO are invited to send observers to the conference to give the benefit of their expert advice to the representatives of Governments. 

Before the conference opens, the draft convention is circulated to the invited Governments and organizations for their comments. The draft convention, together with the comments thereon from Governments and interested organizations ist then closely examined by the conference and necessary changes are made in order to produce a draft acceptable to all or the majority of the Governments present. 

The convention thus agreed upon is then adopted by the conference and deposited with the SecretaryGeneral who sends copies to Governments. The convention is opened for signature by States, usually for a period of 12 months. Signatories may ratify or accept the convention while nonsignatories may accede. The drafting and adoption of a convention in IMO can take several years to complete although in some cases, where a quick response is required to deal with an emergency situation, Governments have been willing to accelerate this process considerably. 

Entry into force

The adoption of a convention marks the conclusion of only the first stage of a long process. Before the convention comes into force  that is, before it becomes binding upon Governments which have ratified it  it has to be accepted formally by individual Governments. Each convention includes appropriate provisions stipulating conditions which have to be met before it enters into force. These conditions vary but, generally speaking, the more important and more complex the document, the more stringent are the conditions for its entry into force. For example, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, provided that entry into force requires acceptance by 25 States whose merchant fleets comprise not less than 50 per cent of the world's gross tonnage; for the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969, the requirement was acceptance by 25 States whose combined merchant fleets represent not less than 65 per cent of world tonnage. When the appropriate conditions have been fulfilled, the convention enters into force for the States which have accepted  generally after a period of grace intended to enable all the States to take the necessary measures for  implementation. In the case of some conventions which affect a few States or deal with less complex matters, the entry into force requirements may not be so stringent. For example, the Convention Relating to Civil Liability in the Field of Maritime Carriage of Nuclear Material, 1971, came into force 90 days after being accepted by five States; the Special Trade Passenger Ships Agreement, 1971, came into force six months after three States (including
two with ships or nationals involved in special trades) had accepted it. 

For the important technical conventions, it is necessary that they be accepted and applied by a large section of the
shipping community. It is therefore essential that these should, upon entry into force, be applicable to as many of the maritime states as possible. Otherwise they would tend to confuse, rather than clarify, shipping practice since their provisions would not apply to a significant proportion of the ship they were intended to deal with. Accepting a convention does not merely involve the deposit of a formal instrument. 

A Government's acceptance of a convention necessarily places on it the obligation to take the measures required by the convention. Often national law has to be enacted or changed to enforce the provisions of the convention; in some case, special facilities may have to be provided; an inspectorate may have to be appointed or trained to carry out functions under the convention; and adequate notice must be given to shipowners, shipbuilders and other interested parties so they make take account of the provisions of the convention in their future acts and plans. At present IMO conventions enter into force within an average of five years after adoption. The majority of these instruments are now in force or are on the verge of fulfilling requirements for entry into force. 

Amendment

Technology and techniques in the shipping industry change very rapidly these days. As a result, not only are new
conventions required but existing ones need to be kept up to date. For example, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1960 was amended six times after it entered into force in 1965  in 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971 and 1973. In 1974 a completely new convention was adopted incorporating all these amendments (and other minor changes) and has itself been modified frequently. 

In early conventions, amendments came into force only after a percentage of Contracting States, usually two thirds, had accepted them. This normally meant that more acceptances were required to amend a convention than were originally required to bring it into force in the first place, especially where the number of States which are Parties to a convention is very large. This percentage requirement in practice led to long delays in bringing amendments into force. To remedy the situation a new amendment procedure was devised in IMO. 

This procedure has been used in the case of conventions such as the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 and SOLAS 1974, all of which incorporate a procedure involving the `tacit acceptance' of amendments by States. Instead of requiring that an amendment shall enter into force after being accepted by, for example, two thirds of the Parties, the new procedure provides that an amendment shall enter into force at a particular time unless, before that date, objections to the amendment are received from a specified number of Parties. In the case of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, an amendment to most of the Annexes (which constitute the technical parts of the Convention) is `deemed to have been accepted at the end of two years from the date on which it is communicated to Contracting Governments...' unless the amendment is objected to by more than one third of Contracting Governments, or Contracting Governments owning not less than 50 per cent of the world's gross merchant tonnage. This period may be varied by the Maritime Safety Committee with a minimum limit of one year. 

As was expected the `tacit acceptance' procedure has greatly speeded up the amendment process. The 1981
amendments to SOLAS 1974, for example, entered into force on 1 September 1984. Compared to this, none of the
amendments adopted to the 1960 SOLAS Convention between 1966 and 1973 received sufficient acceptances to satisfy the requirements for entry into force. 

Enforcement

The enforcement of IMO conventions depends upon the Governments of Member Parties. The Organization has no powers in this respect. Contracting Governments enforce the provisions of IMO conventions as far as their own ships are concerned and also set the penalties for infringements, where these are applicable. 

They may also have certain limited powers in respect of the ships of other Governments. In some conventions, certificates are required to be carried on board ship to show that they have been inspected and have met the required standards.  These certificates are normally accepted as proof by authorities from other States that the vessel concerned has reached the required standard, but in some cases further action can be taken. 

The 1974 SOLAS Convention, for example, states that `the officer carrying out the control shall take such steps as will ensure that the ship shall not sail until it can proceed to sea without danger to the passengers or the crew'. This can be done if `there are clear grounds for believing that the condition of the ship and its equipment does not correspond substantially with the particulars of that certificate'. An inspection of this nature would, of course, take place within the jurisdiction of the port State. But when an offence occurs in international waters the responsibility for imposing a penalty rests with the flag State. Should an offence occur within the jurisdiction of another State, however, that State can either cause proceedings to be taken in accordance with its own law or give details of the offence to the flag State so that the latter can take appropriate action. 

Under the terms of the 1969 Convention Relating to Intervention on the High Seas, Contracting States are empowered to act against ships of other countries which have been involved in an accident or have been damaged on the high seas if there is a grave risk of oil pollution occurring as a result. The way in which these powers may be used are very carefully defined, and in most conventions the flag State is primarily responsible for enforcing conventions as far as its own ships and their personnel are concerned. The majority of conventions adopted under the auspices of IMO or for which the Organization is otherwise responsible fall into three main categories. The first group is concerned with maritime safety; the second with the prevention of marine pollution; and the third with liability and compensation, especially in relation to damage caused by pollution. Outside these major groupings are a number of other conventions dealing with facilitation, tonnage measurement, unlawful acts against shipping and salvage.

Short Name:	IMO Convention
Full Name:	Convention on the International Maritime Organization
Purpose:	general
Established:	06-Mar-1948
Entered into force:	17-Mar-1958
Type:	convention, multi-lateral
Place where established:	Geneva, Switzerland
Schedule to expire:
Goals and Objectives:	The purposes of the Organization, as summarized by Article 1(a) of the Convention, are "to provide machinery for cooperation among Governments in the field of governmental regulation and practices relating to technical matters of all kinds affecting shipping engaged in international trade; to encourage and facilitate the general adoption of the highest practicable standards in matters concerning maritime safety, efficiency of navigation and prevention and control of marine pollution from ships". The Organization is also empowered to deal with administrative and legal matters related to these purposes.
Related Legislation:	IMO was originally called the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO). The name was changed in 1982.
Internet source:	#http://www.imo.org#

Secretariat's address	International Maritime Organization 4 Albert Embankment London SE1 7SR
Telephone	+44-7-7357611
Fax	+44-7-5873210
E-Mail	info@imo.org#mailto:info@imo.org#
Home Page	#http://www.imo.org#