Governments parties to the present Convention, shall continue to have full and complete effect during the terms thereof as regards: (i) ships to which the present Convention does not apply; (ii) ships to which the present Convention applies, in respect of matters for which it has not expressly provided. (c) To the extent, however, that such treaties, conventions or arrangements conflict with the provisions of the present Convention, the provisions of the present Convention shall prevail. (d) All matters which are not expressly provided for in the present Convention remain subject to the legislation of the Contracting Governments. Article VIII Special Rules drawn up by Agreement When in accordance with the present Convention special rules are drawn up by agreement between all or some of the Contracting Governments, such rules shall be communicated to the Organization for circulation to all Contracting Governments. Article IX Amendments (a) (i) The present Convention may be amended by unanimous agreement between the Contracting Governments. (ii) Upon the request of any Contracting Government a proposed amendment shall be communicated by the Organization to all Contracting Governments for consideration and acceptance under this paragraph. (b) (i) An amendment to the present Convention may be proposed to the Organization at any time by any Contracting Government and such proposal. if adopted by a two-thirds majority of the Assembly of the Organization (hereinafter called the Assembly), upon recommendation adopted by a twothirds majority of the Maritime Safety Committee of the Organization (hereinafter called the Maritime Safety Committee), shall be communicated by the Organization to all Contracting Governments for their acceptance. (ii) Any such recommendation by the Maritime Safety Committee shall be communicated by the Organization to all Contracting Governments for their consideration at least six months before it is considered by the Assembly. (c) (i) A conference of Governments to consider amendments to the present Convention proposed by any Contracting Government shall at any time be convened by the Organization upon the request of one-third of the Contracting Governments. Art. (ii) Every amendment adopted by such conference by a two-thirds majority of the Contracting Governments shall be communicated by the Organization to all Contracting Governments for their acceptance. (d) Any amendment communicated to Contracting Governments for their acceptance under paragraph (b) or (c) of this Article shall come into force for all Contracting Governments, except those which before it comes into force make declaration that they do not accept the amendment, twelve months after the date on which the amendment is accepted by two-thirds of the Contracting Governments including two-thirds of the Governments represented on the Maritime Safety Committee. (e) The Assembly, by a two-thirds majority vote, including two-thirds of the Governments represented on the Maritime Safety Committee, and subject to the concurrence of two-thirds of the Contracting Governments to the present Convention, or a conference convened under paragraph (c) of this Article by a two-thirds majority vote, may determine at the time of its adoption that the amendment is of such an important nature that any Contracting Government which makes a declaration under paragraph (d) of this Article and which does not accept the amendment within a period of twelve months after the amendment comes into force, shall, upon the expiry of this period, cease to be a party to the present Convention. (f) Any amendment to the present Convention made under this Article which relates to the structure of a ship shall apply only to ships the keels of which are laid after the date on which the amendment comes into force. (g) The Organisation shall inform all Contracting Governments of any amendments which come into force under this Article, together with the date on which such amendments shall come into force. (h) Any acceptance or declaration under this Article shall be made by a notification in writing to the Organisation, which shall notify all Contracting Governments of the receipt of the acceptance or declaration. Article X Signature and Acceptance (a) The present Convention shall remain open for signature for one month from this day's date and shall thereafter remain open for acceptance. Governments of States may become parties to the Convention by: (i) signature without reservation as to acceptance; (ii) signature subject to acceptance followed by acceptance; or (iii) acceptance. (b) Acceptance shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument with the Organisation, which shall inform all Governments that have already accepted the Convention of each acceptance received and of the date of its receipt. Art. Article XI Coming into Force (a) The present Convention shall come into force twelve months after the date on which not less than fifteen acceptances, including seven by countries each with not less than one million gross tons of shipping, have been deposited in accordance with Article X. The Organization shall inform all Governments which have signed or accepted the present Convention of the date on which it comes into force. (b) Acceptances deposited after the date on which the present Convention comes into force shall take effect three months after the date of their deposit. Article XII Denunciation (a) The present Convention may be denounced by any Contracting Government at any time after the expiry of five years from the date on which the Convention comes into force for that Government. (b) Denunciation shall be effected by a notification in writing addressed to the Organization which shall notify all the other Contracting Governments of any denunciation received and of the date of its receipt. (c) A denunciation shall take effect one year, or such longer period as may be specified in the notification, after its receipt by the Organization. Article XIII (a) (i) The United Nations in cases where they are the administering authority for a territory or any Contracting Government responsible for the international relations of a territory shall as soon as possible consult with such territory in an endeavour to extend the present Convention to that territory and may at any time by notification in writing given to the Organization declare that the present Convention shall extend to such territory. (ii) The present Convention shall from the date of the receipt of the notification or from such other date as may be specified in the notification extend to the territory named therein. (b) (i) The United Nations or any Contracting Government which has made a declaration under paragraph (a) of this Article, at any time after the expiry of a period of five years from the date on which the Convention has been so extended to any territory, may by a notification in writing given to the Organization declare that the present Convention shall cease to extend to any such territory named in the notification. (ii) The present Convention shall cease to extend to any territory mentioned in such notification one year, or such longer period as may be Art. CHAPTER I.-GENERAL PROVISIONS PART A.-APPLICATION, DEFINITIONS, &c. Regulation 1 Application (a) Unless expressly provided otherwise, the present Regulations apply only to ships engaged on international voyages. (b) The classes of ships to which each Chapter applies are more precisely defined, and the extent of the application is shown, in each Chapter. Regulation 2 For the purpose of the present Regulations, unless expressly provided otherwise: (a) "Regulations" means the Regulations referred to in Article I (a) of the present Convention. (b) "Administration means the Government of the country in which the ship is registered. (c) "Approved" means approved by the Administration. (d) "International voyage means a voyage from a country to which the present Convention applies to a port outside such country, or conversely; and for this purpose every territory for the international relations of which a Contracting Government is responsible or for which the United Nations are the administering authority is regarded as a separate country. (e) A passenger is every person other than: (i) the master and the members of the crew or other persons employed or engaged in any capacity on board a ship on the business of that ship; and (ii) a child under one year of age. A passenger ship is a ship which carries more than twelve passengers. (g) A cargo ship is any ship which is not a passenger ship. (h) A tanker is a cargo ship constructed or adapted for the carriage in bulk of liquid cargoes of an inflammable nature. (i) A fishing vessel is a vessel used for catching fish, whales, seals, walrus or other living resources of the sea. (j) A nuclear ship is a ship provided with a nuclear power plant. |