International Maritime
Organization Protocol of 1992 to amend the International Convention on
the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution
Damage of 18 December 1971
(London, 27 November 1992)
THE PARTIES TO THE PRESENT PROTOCOL,
HAVING CONSIDERED the International
Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation
for Oil Pollution Damage, 1971, and the 1984 Protocol thereto,
HAVING NOTED that the 1984 Protocol
to that Convention, which provides for improved scope and enhanced compensation,
has not entered into force,
AFFIRMING the importance of maintaining
the viability of the international oil pollution liability and compensation
system,
AWARE OF the need to ensure the entry
into force of the content of the 1984 Protocol as soon as possible,
RECOGNIZING the advantage for the States
Parties of arranging for the amended Convention to coexist with and be
supplementary to the original Convention for a transitional period,
CONVINCED that the economic consequences
of pollution damage resulting from the carriage of oil in bulk at sea by
ships should continue to be shared by the shipping industry and by the
oil cargo interests,
BEARING IN MIND the adoption of the
Protocol of 1992 to amend the International Convention on Civil Liability
for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969,
HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
The Convention which the provisions of this
Protocol amend is the International Convention on the Establishment of
an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1971,
hereinafter referred to as the "1971 Fund Convention". For States Parties
to the Protocol of 1976 to the 1971 Fund Convention, such reference shall
be deemed to include the 1971 Fund Convention as amended by that Protocol.
Article 2
Article 1 of the 1971 Fund Convention is amended
as follows:
1. Paragraph 1 is replaced by the following
text:
1. "1992 Liability Convention" means the International
Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1992.
2. After paragraph 1 a new paragraph is inserted
as follows:
1 bis. "1971 Fund Convention" means
the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund
for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1971. For States Parties to
the Protocol of 1976 to that Convention, the term shall be deemed to include
the 1971 Fund Convention as amended by that Protocol.
3. Paragraph 2 is replaced by the following
text:
2. "Ship", "Person", "Owner", "Oil", "Pollution
Damage", "Preventive Measures", "Incident", and "Organization" have the
same meaning as in Article I of the 1992 Liability Convention.
4. Paragraph 4 is replaced by the following
text:
4. "Unit of account" has the same meaning
as in Article V, paragraph 9, of the 1992 Liability Convention.
5. Paragraph 5 is replaced by the following
text:
5. "Ship's tonnage" has the same meaning as
in Article V, paragraph 10, of the 1992 Liability Convention.
6. Paragraph 7 is replaced by the following
text:
7. "Guarantor" means any person providing
insurance or other financial security to cover an owner's liability in
pursuance of Article VII, paragraph 1, of the 1992 Liability Convention.
Article 3
Article 2 of the 1971 Fund Convention is amended
as follows:
Paragraph 1 is replaced by the following text:
1. An International Fund for compensation
for pollution damage, to be named "The International Oil Pollution Compensation
Fund 1992" and hereinafter referred to as "the Fund", is hereby established
with the following aims:
(a) to provide compensation for pollution
damage to the extent that the protection afforded by the 1992 Liability
Convention is inadequate;
(b) to give effect to the related purposes
set out in this Convention.
Article 4
Article 3 of the 1971 Fund Convention is replaced
by the following text:
This Convention shall apply exclusively:
(a) to pollution damage caused:
(i) in the territory, including the territorial
sea, of a Contracting State, and
(ii) in the exclusive economic zone of a Contracting
State, established in accordance with international law, or, if a Contracting
State has not established such a zone, in an area beyond and adjacent to
the territorial sea of that State determined by that State in accordance
with international law and extending not more than 200 nautical miles from
the baselines from which the breadth of its territorial sea is measured;
(b) to preventive measures, wherever taken,
to prevent or minimize such damage.
Article 5
The heading to Articles 4 to 9 of the 1971
Fund Convention is amended by deleting the words "and indemnification".
Article 6
Article 4 of the 1971 Fund Convention is amended
as follows:
1. In paragraph 1 the five references to "the
Liability Convention" are replaced by references to "the 1992 Liability
Convention".
2. Paragraph 3 is replaced by the following
text:
3. If the Fund proves that the pollution damage
resulted wholly or partially either from an act or omission done with the
intent to cause damage by the person who suffered the damage or from the
negligence of that person, the Fund may be exonerated wholly or partially
from its obligation to pay compensation to such person. The Fund shall
in any event be exonerated to the extent that the shipowner may have been
exonerated under Article III, paragraph 3, of the 1992 Liability Convention.
However, there shall be no such exoneration of the Fund with regard to
preventive measures.
3. Paragraph 4 is replaced by the following
text:
4. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraphs
(b) and (c) of this paragraph, the aggregate amount of compensation payable
by the Fund under this Article shall in respect of any one incident be
limited, so that the total sum of that amount and the amount of compensation
actually paid under the 1992 Liability Convention for pollution damage
within the scope of application of this Convention as defined in Article
3 shall to exceed 135 million units of account.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph
(c), the aggregate amount of compensation payable by the Fund under this
Article for pollution damage resulting from a natural phenomenon of an
exceptional inevitable and irresistible character shall not exceed 135
million units of account.
(c) The maximum amount of compensation referred
to in subparagraphs (a) and (b) shall be 200 million units of account with
respect to any incident occurring during any period when there are three
Parties to this Convention in respect of which the combined relevant quantity
of contributing oil received by persons in the territories of such Parties,
during the preceding calendar year, equalled or exceeded 600 million tons.
(d) Interest accrued on a fund constituted
in accordance with Article V, paragraph 3, of the 1992 Liability Convention,
if
any, shall not be taken into account for the computation of the maximum
compensation payable by the Fund under this Article.
(e) The amounts mentioned in this Article
shall be converted into national currency on the basis of the value of
that currency by reference to the Special Drawing Right on the date of
the decision of the Assembly of the Fund as to the first date of payment
of compensation.
4. Paragraph 5 is replaced by the following
text:
5. Where the amount of established claims
against the Fund exceeds the aggregate amount of compensation payable under
paragraph 4, the amount available shall be distributed in such a manner
that the proportion between any established claim and the amount of compensation
actually recovered by the claimant under this Convention shall be the same
for all claimants.
5. Paragraph 6 is replaced by the following
text:
6. The Assembly of the Fund may decide that,
in exceptional cases, compensation in accordance with this Convention can
be paid even if the owner of the ship has not constituted a fund in accordance
with Article V, paragraph 3, of the 1992 Liability Convention. In such
case paragraph 4(e) of this Article applies accordingly.
Article 7
Article 5 of the 1971 Fund Convention is deleted.
Article 8
Article 6 of the 1971 Fund Convention is amended
as follows:
1. In paragraph 1 the paragraph number and
the words "or indemnification under Article 5" are deleted.
2. Paragraph 2 is deleted.
Article 9
Article 7 of the 1971 Fund Convention is amended
as follows:
1. In paragraphs 1, 3, 4 and 6 the seven references
to "the Liability Convention" are replaced by references to "the 1992 Liability
Convention".
2. In paragraph 1 the words "or indemnification
under Article 5" are deleted.
3. In the first sentence of paragraph 3 the
words "or indemnification" and "or 5" are deleted.
4. In the second sentence of paragraph 3 the
words "or under Article 5, paragraph 1," are deleted.
Article 10
In Article 8 of the 1971 Fund Convention the
reference to "the Liability Convention" is replaced by a reference to "the
1992 Liability Convention".
Article 11
Article 9 of the 1971 Fund Convention is amended
as follows:
1. Paragraph 1 is replaced by the following
text:
1. The Fund shall, in respect of any amount
of compensation for pollution damage paid by the Fund in accordance with
Article 4, paragraph 1, of this Convention, acquire by subrogation the
rights that the person so compensated may enjoy under the 1992 Liability
Convention against the owner or his guarantor.
2. In paragraph 2 the words "or indemnification"
are deleted.
Article 12
Article 10 of the 1971 Fund Convention is
amended as follows:
The opening phrase of paragraph 1 is replaced
by the following text:
Annual contributions to the Fund shall be
made in respect of each Contracting State by any person who, in the calendar
year referred to in Article 12, paragraph 2(a) of (b), has received in
total quantities exceeding 150,000 tons:
Article 13
Article 11 of the 1971 Fund Convention is
deleted.
Article 14
Article 12 of the 1971 Fund Convention is
amended as follows:
1. In the opening phrase of paragraph 1 the
words "for each person referred to in Article 10" are deleted.
2. In paragraph 1(i), subparagraphs (b) and
(c), the words "or 5" are deleted and the words "15 million francs" are
replaced by the words "four million units of account".
3. Subparagraph 1(ii)(b) is deleted.
4. In paragraph 1(ii), subparagraph (c) becomes
(b) and subparagraph (d) becomes (c).
5. The opening phrase in paragraph 2 is replaced
by the following text:
The Assembly shall decide the total amount
of contributions to be levied. On the basis of that decision, the Director
shall, in respect of each Contracting State, calculate for each person
referred to in Article 10 the amount of his annual contribution:
6. Paragraph 4 is replaced by the following
text:
4. The annual contribution shall be due on
the date to be laid down in the Internal Regulations of the Fund. The Assembly
may decide on a different date of payment.
7. Paragraph 5 is replaced by the following
text:
5. The Assembly may decide, under conditions
to be laid down in the Financial Regulations of the fund, to make transfers
between funds received in accordance with Article 12.2(a) and funds received
in accordance with Article 12.2(b).
8. Paragraph 6 is deleted.
Article 15
Article 13 of the 1971 Fund Convention is
amended as follows:
1. Paragraph 1 is replaced by the following
text:
1. The amount of any contribution due under
Article 12 and which is in arrears shall bear interest at a rate which
shall be determined in accordance with the Internal Regulations of the
Fund, provided that different rates may be fixed for different circumstances.
2. In paragraph 3 the words "Articles 10 and
11" are replaced by the words "Articles 10 and 12" and the words "for a
period exceeding three months" are deleted.
Article 16
A new paragraph 4 is added to Article 15 of
the 1971 Fund Convention:
4. Where a Contracting State does not fulfil
its obligations to submit to the Director the communication referred to
in paragraph 2 and this results in a financial loss for the Fund, that
Contracting State shall be liable to compensate the Fund for such loss.
The Assembly shall, on the recommendation of the Director, decide whether
such compensation shall be payable by that Contracting State.
Article 17
Article 16 of the 1971 Fund Convention is
replaced by the following text:
The Fund shall have an Assembly and a Secretariat
headed by a Director.
Article 18
Article 18 of the 1971 Fund Convention is
amended as follows:
1. In the opening sentence of the article
the words", subject to the provisions of Article 26," are deleted.
2. Paragraph 8 is deleted.
3. Paragraph 9 is replaced by the following
text:
9. to establish any temporary or permanent
subsidiary body it may consider to be necessary, to define its terms of
reference and to give it the authority needed to perform the functions
entrusted to it; when appointing the members of such body, the Assembly
shall endeavour to secure an equitable geographical distribution of members
and to ensure that the Contracting States, in respect of which the largest
quantities of contributing oil are being received, are appropriately represented;
the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly may be applied, mutatis mutandis,
for the work of such subsidiary body;
4. In paragraph 10 the words ", the Executive
Committee," are deleted.
5. In paragraph 11 the words ", the Executive
Committee" are deleted.
6. Paragraph 12 is deleted.
Article 19
Article 19 of the 1971 Fund Convention is
amended as follows:
1. Paragraph 1 is replaced by the following
text:
1. Regular sessions of the Assembly shall
take place once every calendar year upon convocation by the Director.
2. In paragraph 2 the words "of the Executive
Committee or" are deleted.
Article 20
Articles 21 to 27 of the 1971 Fund Convention
and the heading to these articles are deleted.
Article 21
Article 29 of the 1971 Fund Convention is
amended as follows:
1. Paragraph 1 is replaced by the following
text:
1. The Director shall be the chief administrative
officer of the Fund. Subject to the instructions given to him by the Assembly,
he shall perform those functions which are assigned to him by this Convention,
the Internal Regulations of the Fund and the Assembly.
2. In paragraph 2(e) the words "or the Executive
Committee" are deleted.
3. In paragraph 2(f) the words "or to the
Executive Committee, as the case may be," are deleted.
4. Paragraph 2(g) is replaced by the following
text:
(g) prepare, in consultation with the Chairman
of the Assembly, and publish a report of the activities of the Fund during
the previous calendar year;
5. In paragraph 2(h) the words ", the Executive
Committee" are deleted.
Article 22
In Article 31, paragraph 1, of the 1971 Fund
Convention, the words "on the Executive Committee and" are deleted.
Article 23
Article 32 of the 1971 Fund Convention is
amended as follows:
1. In the opening phrase the words "and the
Executive Committee" are deleted.
2. In subparagraph (b) the words "and the
Executive Committee" are deleted.
Article 24
Article 33 of the 1971 Fund Convention is
amended as follows:
1. Paragraph 1 is deleted.
2. In paragraph 2 the paragraph number is
deleted.
3. Subparagraph (c) is replaced by the following
text:
(c) the establishment of subsidiary bodies,
under Article 18, paragraph 9, and matters relating to such establishment.
Article 25
Article 35 of the 1971 Fund Convention is
replaced by the following text:
Claims for compensation under Article 4 arising
from incidents occurring after the date of entry into force of this Convention
may not be brought against the Fund earlier than the one hundred and twentieth
day after that date.
Article 26
After Article 36 of the 1971 Fund Convention
four new articles are inserted as follows:
Article 36 bis
The following transitional provisions shall
apply in the period, hereinafter referred to as the transitional period,
commencing with the date of entry into force of this Convention and ending
with the date on which the denunciations provided for in Article 31 of
the 1992 Protocol to amend the 1971 Fund Convention take effect:
(a) In the application of paragraph 1(a) of
Article 2 of this Convention, the reference to the 1992 Liability Convention
shall include reference to the International Convention on Civil Liability
for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969, either in its original version or as amended
by the Protocol thereto of 1976 (referred to in this Article as "the 1969
Liability Convention"), and also the 1971 Fund Convention.
(b) Where an incident has caused pollution
damage within the scope of this Convention, the Fund shall pay compensation
to any person suffering pollution damage only if, and to the extent that,
such person has been unable to obtain full and adequate compensation for
the damage under the terms of the 1969 Liability Convention, the 1971 Fund
Convention and the 1992 Liability Convention, provided that, in respect
of pollution damage within the scope of this Convention in respect of a
Party to this Convention but not a Party to the 1971 Fund Convention, the
Fund shall pay compensation to any person suffering pollution damage only
if, and to the extent that, such person would have been unable to obtain
full and adequate compensation had that State been party to each of the
above-mentioned Conventions.
(c) In the application of Article 4 of this
Convention, the amount to be taken into account in determining the aggregate
amount of compensation payable by the Fund shall also include the amount
of compensation actually paid under the 1969 Liability Convention, if any,
and the amount of compensation actually paid or deemed to have been paid
under the 1971 Fund Convention.
(d) Paragraph 1 of Article 9 of this Convention
shall also apply to the rights enjoyed under the 1969 Liability Convention.
Article 36 ter
1. Subject to paragraph 4 of this Article,
the aggregate amount of the annual contributions payable in respect of
contributing oil received in a single Contracting State during a calendar
year shall not exceed 27.5% of the total amount of annual contributions
pursuant to the 1992 Protocol to amend the 1971 Fund Convention, in respect
of that calendar year.
2. If the application of the provisions in
paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 12 would result in the aggregate amount of
the contributions payable by contributors in a single Contracting State
in respect of a given calendar year exceeding 27.5% of the total annual
contributions, the contributions payable by all contributors in that State
shall be reduced pro rata so that their aggregate contributions
equal 27.5% of the total annual contributions to the Fund in respect of
that year.
3. If the contributions payable by persons
in a given Contracting State shall be reduced pursuant to paragraph 2 of
this Article, the contributions payable by persons in all other Contracting
States shall be increased pro rata so as to ensure that the total
amount of contributions payable by all persons liable to contribute to
the Fund in respect of the calendar year in question will reach the total
amount of contributions decided by the Assembly.
4. The provisions in paragraphs 1 to 3 of
this Article shall operate until the total quantity of contributing oil
received in all Contracting States in a calendar year has reached 750 million
tons or until a period of 5 years after the date of entry into force of
the said 1992 Protocol has elapsed, whichever occurs earlier.
Article 36 quater
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Convention,
the following provisions shall apply to the administration of the Fund
during the period in which both the 1971 Fund Convention and this Convention
are in force:
(a) The Secretariat of the Fund, established
by the 1971 Fund Convention (hereinafter referred to as "the 1971 Fund"),
headed by the Director, may also function as the Secretariat and the Director
of the Fund.
(b) If, in accordance with subparagraph (a),
the Secretariat and the Director of the 1971 Fund also perform the function
of Secretariat and Director of the Fund, the Fund shall be represented,
in cases of conflict of interests between the 1971 Fund and the Fund, by
the Chairman of the Assembly of the Fund.
(c) The Director and the staff and experts
appointed by him, performing their duties under this Convention and the
1971 Fund Convention, shall not be regarded as contravening the provisions
of Article 30 of this Convention in so far as they discharge their duties
in accordance with this Article.
(d) The Assembly of the Fund shall endeavour
not to take decisions which are incompatible with decisions taken by the
Assembly of the 1971 Fund. If differences of opinion with respect to common
administrative issues arise, the Assembly of the Fund shall try to reach
a consensus with the Assembly of the 1971 Fund, in a spirit of mutual co-operation
and with the common aims of both organizations in mind.
(e) The Fund may succeed to the rights, obligations
and assets of the 1971 Fund if the Assembly of the 1971 Fund so decides,
in accordance with Article 44, paragraph 2, of the 1971 Fund Convention.
(f) The Fund shall reimburse to the 1971 Fund
all costs and expenses arising from administrative services performed by
the 1971 Fund on behalf of the Fund.
Article 36 quinquies
Final clauses
The final clauses of this Convention shall
be Articles 28 to 39 of the Protocol of 1992 to amend the 1971 Fund Convention.
References in this Convention to Contracting States shall be taken to mean
references to the Contracting States of that Protocol.
Article 27
1. The 1971 Fund Convention and this Protocol
shall, as between the Parties to this Protocol, be read and interpreted
together as one single instrument.
2. Articles 1 to 36 quinquies of the
1971 Fund Convention as amended by this Protocol shall be known as the
International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund
for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1992 (1992 Fund Convention).
FINAL CLAUSES
Article 28
Signature, ratification, acceptance, approval
and accession
1. This Protocol shall be open for signature
at London from 15 January 1993 to 14 January 1994 by any State which has
signed the 1992 Liability Convention.
2. Subject to paragraph 4, this Protocol shall
be ratified, accepted or approved by States which have signed it.
3. Subject to paragraph 4, this Protocol is
open for accession by States which did not sign it.
4. This Protocol may be ratified, accepted,
approved or acceded to only by States which have ratified, accepted, approved
or acceded to the 1992 Liability Convention.
5. Ratification, acceptance, approval or accession
shall be effected by the deposit of a formal instrument to that effect
with the Secretary-General of the Organization.
6. A State which is a Party to this Protocol
but is not a Party to the 1971 Fund Convention shall be bound by the provisions
of the 1971 Fund Convention as amended by this Protocol in relation to
other Parties hereto, but shall not be bound by the provisions of the 1971
Fund Convention in relation to Parties thereto.
7. Any instrument of ratification, acceptance,
approval or accession deposited after the entry into force of an amendment
to the 1971 Fund Convention as amended by this Protocol shall be deemed
to apply to the Convention so amended, as modified by such amendment.
Article 29
Information on contributing oil
1. Before this Protocol comes into force for
a State, that State shall, when depositing an instrument referred to in
Article 28, paragraph 5, and annually thereafter at a date to be determined
by the Secretary-General of the Organization, communicate to him the name
and address of any person who in respect of that State would be liable
to contribute to the Fund pursuant to Article 10 of the 1971 Fund Convention
as amended by this Protocol as well as data on the relevant quantities
of contributing oil received by any such person in the territory of that
State during the preceding calendar year.
2. During the transitional period, the Director
shall, for Parties, communicate annually to the Secretary-General of the
Organization data on quantities of contributing oil received by persons
liable to contribute to the Fund pursuant to Article 10 of the 1971 Fund
Convention as amended by this Protocol.
Article 30
Entry into force
1. This Protocol shall enter into force twelve
months following the date on which the following requirements are fulfilled:
(a) at least eight States have deposited instruments
of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Secretary-General
of the Organization; and
(b) the Secretary-General of the Organization
has received information in accordance with Article 29 that those persons
who would be liable to contribute pursuant to Article 10 of the 1971 Fund
Convention as amended by this Protocol have received during the preceding
calendar year a total quantity of at least 450 million tons of contributing
oil.
2. However, this Protocol shall not enter
into force before the 1992 Liability Convention has entered into force.
3. For each State which ratifies, accepts,
approves or accedes to this Protocol after the conditions in paragraph
1 for entry into force have been met, the Protocol shall enter into force
twelve months following the date of the deposit by such State of the appropriate
instrument.
4. Any State may, at the time of the deposit
of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession in
respect of this Protocol declare that such instrument shall not take effect
for the purpose of this Article until the end of the six-month period in
Article 31.
5. Any State which has made a declaration
in accordance with the preceding paragraph may withdraw it at any time
by means of a notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the Organization.
Any such withdrawal shall take effect on the date the notification is received,
and any State making such a withdrawal shall be deemed to have deposited
its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession in respect
of this Protocol on that date.
6. Any State which has made a declaration
under Article 13, paragraph 2, of the Protocol of 1992 to amend the 1969
Liability Convention shall be deemed to have also made a declaration under
paragraph 4 of this Article. Withdrawal of a declaration under the said
Article 13, paragraph 2, shall be deemed to constitute withdrawal also
under paragraph 5 of this Article.
Article 31
Denunciation of the 1969 and 1971 Conventions
Subject to Article 30, within six months following
the date on which the following requirements are fulfilled:
(a) at least eight States have become Parties
to this Protocol or have deposited instruments of ratification, acceptance,
approval or accession with the Secretary-General of the Organization, whether
or not subject to Article 30, paragraph 4, and
(b) the Secretary-General of the Organization
has received information in accordance with Article 29 that those persons
who are or would be liable to contribute pursuant to Article 10 of the
1971 Fund Convention as amended by this Protocol have received during the
preceding calendar year a total quantity of at least 750 million tons of
contributing oil;
each Party to this Protocol and each State
which has deposited an instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval
or accession, whether or not subject to Article 30, paragraph 4, shall,
if Party thereto, denounce the 1971 Fund Convention and the 1969 Liability
Convention with effect twelve months after the expiry of the above-mentioned
six-month period.
Article 32
Revision and amendment
1. A conference for the purpose of revising
or amending the 1992 Fund Convention may be convened by the Organization.
2. The Organization shall convene a Conference
of Contracting States for the purpose of revising or amending the 1992
Fund Convention at the request of not less than one third of all Contracting
States.
Article 33
Amendment of compensation limits
1. Upon the request of at least one quarter
of the Contracting States, any proposal to amend the limits of amounts
of compensation laid down in Article 4, paragraph 4, of the 1971 Fund Convention
as amended by this Protocol shall be circulated by the Secretary-General
to all Members of the Organization and to all Contracting States.
2. Any amendment proposed and circulated as
above shall be submitted to the Legal Committee of the Organization for
consideration at a date at least six months after the date of its circulation.
3. All Contracting States to the 1971 Fund
Convention as amended by this Protocol, whether or not Members of the Organization,
shall be entitled to participate in the proceedings of the Legal Committee
for the consideration and adoption of amendments.
4. Amendments shall be adopted by a two-thirds
majority of the Contracting States present and voting in the Legal Committee,
expanded as provided for in paragraph 3, on condition that at least one
half of the Contracting States shall be present at the time of voting.
5. When acting on a proposal to amend the
limits, the Legal Committee shall take into account the experience of incidents
and in particular the amount of damage resulting therefrom and changes
in the monetary values. It shall also take into account the relationship
between the limits in Article 4, paragraph 4, of the 1971 Fund Convention
as amended by this Protocol and those in Article V, paragraph 1, of the
International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1992.
6. (a) No amendment of the limits under this
Article may be considered before 15 January 1998 nor less than five years
from the date of entry into force of a previous amendment under this Article.
No amendment under this Article shall be considered before this Protocol
has entered into force.
(b) No limit may be increased so as to exceed
an amount which corresponds to the limit laid down in the 1971 Fund Convention
as amended by this Protocol increased by six per cent per year calculated
on a compound basis from 15 January 1993.
(c) No limit may be increased so as to exceed
an amount which corresponds to the limit laid down in the 1971 Fund Convention
as amended by this Protocol multiplied by three.
7. Any amendment adopted in accordance with
paragraph 4 shall be notified by the Organization to all Contracting States.
The amendment shall be deemed to have been accepted at the end of a period
of eighteen months after the date of notification unless within that period
not less than one quarter of the States that were Contracting States at
the time of the adoption of the amendment by the Legal Committee have communicated
to the Organization that they do not accept the amendment in which case
the amendment is rejected and shall have no effect.
8. An amendment deemed to have been accepted
in accordance with paragraph 7 shall enter into force eighteen months after
its acceptance.
9. All Contracting States shall be bound by
the amendment, unless they denounce this Protocol in accordance with Article
34, paragraphs 1 and 2, at least six months before the amendment enters
into force. Such denunciation shall take effect when the amendment enters
into force.
10. When an amendment has been adopted by
the Legal Committee but the eighteen-month period for its acceptance has
not yet expired, a State which becomes a Contracting State during that
period shall be bound by the amendment if it enters into force. A State
which becomes a Contracting State after that period shall be bound by an
amendment which has been accepted in accordance with paragraph 7. In the
cases referred to in this paragraph, a State becomes bound by an amendment
when that amendment enters into force, or when this Protocol enters into
force for that State, if later.
Article 34
Denunciation
1. This Protocol may be denounced by any Party
at any time after the date on which it enters into force for that Party.
2. Denunciation shall be effected by the deposit
of an instrument with the Secretary-General of the Organization.
3. A denunciation shall take effect twelve
months, or such longer period as may be specified in the instrument of
denunciation, after its deposit with the Secretary-General of the Organization.
4. Denunciation of the 1992 Liability Convention
shall be deemed to be a denunciation of this Protocol. Such denunciation
shall take effect on the date on which denunciation of the Protocol of
1992 to amend the 1969 Liability Convention takes effect according to Article
16 of that Protocol.
5. Any Contracting State to this Protocol
which has not denounced the 1971 Fund Convention and the 1969 Liability
Convention as required by Article 31 shall be deemed to have denounced
this Protocol with effect twelve months after the expiry of the six-month
period mentioned in that Article. As from the date on which the denunciations
provided for in Article 31 take effect, any Party to this Protocol which
deposits an instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession
to the 1969 Liability Convention shall be deemed to have denounced this
Protocol with effect from the date on which such instrument takes effect.
6. As between the Parties to this Protocol,
denunciation by any of them of the 1971 Fund Convention in accordance with
Article 41 thereof shall not be construed in any way as a denunciation
of the 1971 Fund Convention as amended by this Protocol.
7. Notwithstanding a denunciation of this
Protocol by a Party pursuant to this Article, any provisions of this Protocol
relating to the obligations to make contributions under Article 10 of the
1971 Fund Convention as amended by this Protocol with respect to an incident
referred to in Article 12, paragraph 2(b), of that amended Convention and
occurring before the denunciation takes effect shall continue to apply.
Article 35
Extraordinary sessions of the Assembly
1. Any Contracting State may, within ninety
days after the deposit of an instrument of denunciation the result of which
it considers will significantly increase the level of contributions for
the remaining Contracting States, request the Director to convene an extraordinary
session of the Assembly. The Director shall convene the Assembly to meet
not later than sixty days after receipt of the request.
2. The Director may convene, on his own initiative,
an extraordinary session of the Assembly to meet within sixty days after
the deposit of any instrument of denunciation, if he considers that such
denunciation will result in a significant increase in the level of contributions
of the remaining Contracting States.
3. If the Assembly at an extraordinary session
convened in accordance with paragraph 1 or 2 decides that the denunciation
will result in a significant increase in the level of contributions for
the remaining Contracting States, any such State may, not later than one
hundred and twenty days before the date on which the denunciation takes
effect, denounce this Protocol with effect from the same date.
Article 36
Termination
1. This Protocol shall cease to be in force
on the date when the number of Contracting States falls below three.
2. States which are bound by this Protocol
on the day before the date it ceases to be in force shall enable the Fund
to exercise its functions as described under Article 37 of this Protocol
and shall, for that purpose only, remain bound by this Protocol.
Article 37
Winding up of the Fund
1. If this Protocol ceases to be in force,
the Fund shall nevertheless:
(a) meet its obligations in respect of any
incident occurring before the Protocol ceased to be in force;
(b) be entitled to exercise its rights to
contributions to the extent that these contributions are necessary to meet
the obligations under subparagraph (a), including expenses for the administration
of the Fund necessary for this purpose.
2. The Assembly shall take all appropriate
measures to complete the winding up of the Fund including the distribution
in an equitable manner of any remaining assets among those persons who
have contributed to the Fund.
3. For the purposes of this Article the Fund
shall remain a legal personal.
Article 38
Depositary
1. This Protocol and any amendments accepted
under Article 33 shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the Organization.
2. The Secretary-General of the Organization
shall:
(a) inform all States which have signed or
acceded to this Protocol of:
(i) each new signature or deposit of an instrument
together with the date thereof;
(ii) each declaration and notification under
Article 30 including declarations and withdrawals deemed to have been made
in accordance with that Article;
(iii) the date of entry its force of this
Protocol;
(iv) the date by which denunciations provided
for in Article 31 are required to be made;
(v) any proposal to amend limits of amounts
of compensation which has been made in accordance with Article 33, paragraph
1;
(vi) any amendment which has been adopted
in accordance with Article 33, paragraph 4;
(vii) any amendment deemed to have been accepted
under Article 33, paragraph 7, together with the date on which that amendment
shall enter into force in accordance with paragraphs 8 and 9 of that Article;
(viii) the deposit of an instrument of denunciation
of this Protocol together with the date of the deposit and the date on
which it takes effect;
(ix) any denunciation deemed to have been
made under Article 34, paragraph 5;
(x) any communication called for by any Article
in this Protocol;
(b) transmit certified true copies of this
Protocol to all Signatory States and to all States which accede to the
Protocol.
3. As soon as this Protocol enters into force,
the text shall be transmitted by the Secretary-General of the Organization
to the Secretariat of the United Nations for registration and publication
in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Article 39
Languages
This Protocol is established in a single original
in the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish languages,
each text being equally authentic.
DONE AT LONDON this twenty-seventh
day of November one thousand nine hundred and ninety-two.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned
being duly authorized for that purpose have signed this Protocol. |