Convention on the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea, 1972

• Coming into Force: 15 July 1977
• Citation: UNTS v. 1050 (p.16)
• Date of Conclusion: 20 October 1972
• Registration Date: 08 August 1977
• Registration Number: 15824
• Subject Terms: Navigation,Sea
• Depositary: Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization
• Participants: Argelia,Angola,Antigua and Barbuda,Argentina,Australia,Austria,Azerbaiján,Bahamas,Bahrein,Bangladesh,Barbados,Bielorrusia,Bélgica,Belize,Benin,Brasil,Brunei Darussalam,Bulgaria,BURMA,Camboya,Camerún,Canada,Cabo Verde,Chile,China,Colombia,Congo,Côte d'Ivoire,Croacia,Cuba,Cyprus,Czech Republic,Czechoslovakia,Democratic People's Republic of Korea,Dinamarca,Djibouti,República Dominicana,Ecuador,Egipto,El Salvador,Equatorial Guinea,Eritrea,Estonia,Ethiopia,Federal Republic of Germany,Fiji,Finlandia,France,Gabon,Gambia,Georgia,German Democratic Republic,Ghana,Greece,Guatemala,Guinea,Guyana,Honduras,Hong Kong,Hungria,Islandia,India,Indonesia,Iran (Islamic Republic of),Ireland,Israel,Italia,Jamaica,Japón,Kazakhstan,Kenya,Kiribati,Kuwait,Latvia,Liberia,Lithuania,Luxembourg,Malaysia,Maldives,Malta,Marshall Islands,Mauritania,Mauritius,México,Monaco,Morocco,Mozambique,Holanda,New Zealand,Nigeria,None,Noruega,Oman,Pakistán,Panamá,Papua New Guinea,Perú,Polonia,Portugal,Qatar,Republic of Korea,Rumania,Samoa,Sao Tome and Principe,Senegal,Seychelles,Singapore,Eslovaquia,Eslovenia,Solomon Islands,South Africa,España,Sri Lanka,St. Vincent and the Grenadines,Suecia,Suiza,Syrian Arab Republic,Thailand,Togo,Tonga,Trinidad and Tobago,Tunisia,Turquia,Tuvalu,Ukraine,Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,United Arab Emirates,United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Hong Kong),United States,Uruguay,Vanuatu,Venezuela,Viet Nam,Yemen Arab Republic,Yugoslavia (Socialist Federal Republic of),Zaire

No.

15824

MULTILATERAL

Convention

on

the international

regulations

for

preventing

collisions

at

sea,

1972

(with

International

Regulations,

1972.

proc s-verbal

of

rectification

of

the English and

French

originals

of

the

Convention

dated

1

December

1973.

official

Russian

and

Spanish

translations estab

lished in

accordance

with

article

IX

of

the

Convention,

Final

Act

of

the

International

Conference

on

Revision

of

the

International

Regulations

for Preventing

Colli

sions

at

Sea,

1972,

and

Resolutions

Nos.

I

and

II

adopted

by

the

Conference).

Concluded

at

London

on

20

Octo

ber

1972

Authentic

texts

of

the

Convention,

International

Regulations,

proc s-verbal

of

rectification

and

the

resolutions:

English

and

French.

Authentic

texts

of

the

Final

Act:

English,

French,

Russian

and

Spanish.

Registered

by

the

Inter-Governmental

Maritime

Consultative

Organization

on

8

August

1977.

Vol.

1050,

1-15824

18

United

Nations

—

Treaty

Series

•

Nations Unies

—

Recueil

des

Traités

1977

CONVENTION

1

ON

THE

INTERNATIONAL

REGULATIONS

FOR

PRE

VENTING

COLLISIONS

AT

SEA,

1972

The Parties

to

the

present

Convention,

Desiring

to

maintain

a

high

level

of

safety

at

sea,

Mindful

of

the

need

to

revise

and

bring

up

to

date

the

International

Regulations

for

Preventing

Collisions

at

Sea

annexed

to

the

Final Act

of

the

International

Conference

on

Safety

of

Life

at

Sea,

I960

2

,

Having

considered

those

Regulations

in

the

light

of

developments

since

they

were

approved,

1

Came

into

force

on

15

July

1977

in

respect

of

the

States

indicated

hereafter,

on

whose

behalf

it

had

been

signed

definitively

or

an

instrument

of

ratification,

acceptance,

approval

or

accession

had

been

deposited

with

the

Inter-Governmental

Maritime

Consultative Organization,

i.e.,

12

months

after

the

date

(14

July

1976)

on

which

the

conditions

provided

for

to

that

effect

(viz.,

inter

alia,

that

at

least

15

States,

the

aggregate

of

whose

merchant

fleets

constitutes

65

per

cent

by

tonnage

of

the

world fleet

of

vessels

of

100

gross

tons

and

over,

became Contracting

Parties

thereto)

had

been

fulfilled,

in

accordance

with

article

IV

(1):

State

Algeria

.....................

Argentina

...................

Austria

.....................

Bahamas....................

Belgium*

...................

Brazil*

.....................

(Signature

affixed

on

23

May

1973.)

Bulgaria*

...................

Canada*!

...................

Cape

Verde

.................

Czechoslovakia!

.............

Denmark*...................

Finland.....................

France*.....................

German

Democratic

Republic*!.

Germany,

Federal

Republic

of*.,

(With

a

declaration

of

appli

cation

to

Berlin

(West),)

Ghana*.....................

Greece*

....................

Signature affixed

on

17

May

1973.)

Hungary!

...................

Iceland*

....................

India*

......................

Israel.......................

Japan.......................

Liberia*

....................

Mexico*

....................

Monaco.....................

Morocco....................

Netherlands*

................

New

Zealand................

(Signature

affixed

on

1

June

1973.)

Nigeria*

....................

Date

of

definitive

signature

(s)

or

of

deposit

of

the

instrument

of

ratification,

acceptance

(A),

approval

(

AA)

or

accession

faj

4

October

1976

a

11

May

1977

a

8

June

1977

a

22

July

1976

a

22

December

1975

26

November

1974

29

April

7

March

28

April

7

April

24

January

16

February

10

May

15

May

14

July

1975

1975

a

1977

a

1977

a

1974

1977

1974

A4

1975

a

1976

7

December

1973

17

December

1974

15

December

21

April

30

May

24

June

21

June

28

December

8

April

18

January

27

April

4

February

26

November

1976

a

1975

1973

s

1977

a

1977

a

1973

a

1976

a

1977a

1977

a

1976

a

1976

17

January

1974

a

State

Norway*....................

Papua

New

Guinea*..........

Poland......................

Romania*!..................

Singapore

...................

South

Africa

................

Spain*......................

Sweden*....................

Switzerland*.................

Syrian

Arab

Republic*!.......

Tonga

......................

Union

of

Soviet

Socialist

Republics*!

...............

United

Kingdom*

............

(With

a

declaration

of

appli

cation

to

Hong

Kong

dated

30

October

1974,

and

a

declara

tion

of

application

to

the

Baili

wick

of

Guernsey,

the

Bailiwick

of

Jersey

and

the

Isle

of

Man

dated

15

July

1977.)

United

States

of

America,.....

(With

a

declaration

of

applica

tion

dated

1

April

1977

to

Puer

to

Rico,

Guam,

the

Panama

Canal

Zone,

the

United

States

Virgin

Islands,

American

Samoa,

the

Trust

Territory

of

the

Pacific

Islands,

Midway

Is

lands,

Wake

Islands,

Johnston

Island,

Palmyra

Island,

King-

man

Reef,

Howland

Island,

Baker

Island,

Jarvis

Island

and

Navassa

Islands.)

Yugoslavia*

.................

Zaire.......................

Date

of

definitive

signature

(s)

or

of

deposit

of

the instrument

of

ratification,

acceptance

(A),

approval

(AA)

or

accession

fa)

13

August

18

May

14

December

27

March

29

April

20

December

31

May

28

April

30

December

16

February

12

April

9

November

28

June

1974

1976

a

1976

1975 a

1977

a

1976

a

1974

a

1975

1975

1976

a

1977

a

1973

a

1974

a

23

November

1976

A

23

March

10

February

1976

a

1977

a

*

State

whose

definitive

signature,

ratification,

acceptance,

approval

or

accession

contributed

towards

the

entry

into

force

of

the

Convention.

!

See

p. 90

of

this

volume

for

the

texts

of

declarations

and

reservations

made

upon

accession.

2

United

Nations,

Treaty

Series,

vol.

536,

p.

27.

Vol.

1050,

1-15824

1977_____United

Nations

—

Treaty

Series

•

Nations

Unies

—

Recueil

des

Traités

_______19

Have

agreed

as

follows:

Article

I.

GENERAL

OBLIGATIONS

The

Parties

to

the

present

Convention

undertake

to

give

effect

to

the

Rules

and

other

Annexes

constituting

the

International

Regulations

for

Preventing

Collisions

at

Sea,

1972

(hereinafter

referred

to

as

"the

Regulations")

attached

hereto.

Article

II.

SIGNATURE,

RATIFICATION,

ACCEPTANCE,

APPROVAL

AND

ACCESSION

1.

The

present

Convention

shall

remain

open

for

signature

until

1

June

1973

and

shall

thereafter

remain

open for

accession.

2.

States

Members

of

the

United

Nations,

or

of

any

of

the

Specialized

Agencies,

or

the

International

Atomic

Agency,

or

Parties

to

the

Statute

of

the

International

Court

of

Justice

may

become

Parties

to

this

Convention

by:

(a)

signature

without

reservation

as

to

ratification,

acceptance

or

approval;

(b)

signature

subject

to

ratification,

acceptance

or

approval

followed

by

ratification,

acceptance

or

approval;

or

(c)

accession.

3.

Ratification,

acceptance,

approval

or

accession

shall be

effected

by

the

deposit

of

an

instrument

to

that

effect

with

the

Inter-Governmental

Maritime

Consultative

Organization

(hereinafter

referred

to

as

"the

Organization")

which

shall

inform

the

Governments

of

States

that

have

signed

or

acceded

to

the

present

Convention

of

the

deposit

of

each

instrument

and

of

the

date

of

its

deposit.

Article

HI.

TERRITORIAL

APPLICATION

1.

The United

Nations

in

cases

where

they

are

the

administering

authority

for

a

territory

or

any

Contracting

Party

responsible

for

the

international

relations

of

a

territory

may

at

any

time,

by

notification

in

writing

to

the

Secretary-General

of

the

Organization

(hereinafter

referred to

as

"the

Secretary-General"),

extend

the

application

of

this

Convention

to

such

a

territory.

2.

The

present Convention

shall,

upon

the

date

of

receipt

of

the

notification

or

from

such

other

date

as

may

be

specified

in

the

notification,

extend

to

the territory

named

therein.

3.

Any

notification

made

in

accordance

with

paragraph

1

of

this

Article

may

be

withdrawn

in

respect

of

any territory

mentioned

in

that

notification

and

the

extension

of

this

Convention

to

that

territory

shall

cease

to

apply

after

one

year

or

such

longer period

as

may

be

specified

at

the

time

of

the

withdrawal.

4.

The

Secretary-General

shall

inform

all

Contracting

Parties

of

the

notification

of

any

extension

or

withdrawal

of

any

extension

communicated under

this

Article.

Article

IV.

ENTRY

INTO

FORCE

1.

(a)

The

present Convention

shall

enter

into

force

twelve

months

after

the

date

on

which

at

least

15

States,

the

aggregate

of

whose

merchant

fleets

constitutes

not

less

than

65

per

cent

by

number

or

by

tonnage

of

the

world

fleet

of

vessels

of

100

gross

tons

and

over

have

become

Parties

to

it,

whichever

is

achieved

first.

(b)

Notwithstanding

the

provisions

in

sub-paragraph

(a)

of

this

paragraph,

the

present Convention

shall

not

enter

into

force

before

1

January

1976.

Vol.

1050,

1-15824