The Ratification of Maritime Conventions
Chapter I.7.40
(CLC PROT. 1976) PROTOCOL OF 1976 TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON CIVIL LIABILITY FOR OIL POLLUTION DAMAGE, 1969
ADOPTED: Done at London, 19 November 1976
REFERENCE: CLC PROT, 1976
ENTERED INTO FORCE: 8 April 1981
DEPOSITARY: IMO, London
SECRETARY: IMO, London
IMPLEMENTATION
SIGNATURE, RATIFICATION, ACCEPTANCE, APPROVAL, ACCESSION
Article III
1. The present Protocol shall be open for signature by any State which has signed the Convention or acceded thereto and by any States invited to attend the Conference to Revise the Unit of Account Provisions of the Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969, held in London from 17 to 19 November 1976. The Protocol shall be open for signature from 1 February 1977 to 31 December 1977 at the Headquarters of the Organization.
2. Subject to paragraph 4 of this Article, the present Protocol shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval by the States which have signed it.
3. Subject to paragraph 4 of this article, this Protocol shall be open for accession by States which did not sign it.
4. The present Protocol may be ratified, accepted, approved or acceded to by States Parties to the Convention.
Article IV
1. Ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be effected by the deposit of a formal instrument to that effect with the Secretary-General.
2. Any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession deposited after the entry into force of an amendment to the present Protocol with respect to all existing Parties or after the completion of all measures required for the entry into force of the amendment with respect to all existing Parties, shall be deemed to apply to the Protocol as modified by the amendment.
ENTRY INTO FORCE
Article V
1. The present Protocol shall enter into force for the States which have ratified, accepted, approved or acceded to it on the ninetieth day following the date on which eight States including five States each with not less than 1,000,000 gross tons of tanker tonnage have deposited instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Secretary-General.
2. For each State which subsequently ratifies, accepts, approves or accedes to it, the present Protocol shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after the deposit by such State of the appropriate instrument.
DENUNCIATION
Article VI
1. The present Protocol may be denounced by any Party at any time after the date on which the Protocol enters into force for that Party.
2. Denunciation shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument to that effect with the Secretary-General.
3. Denunciation shall take effect one year, or such longer period as may be specified in the instrument of denunciation, after its deposit with the Secretary-General.
AMENDMENTS
Article VII
1. A Conference for the purpose of revising or amending the present Protocol may be convened by the Organization.
2. The Organization shall convene a Conference of Parties to the present Protocol for the purpose of revising or amending it at the request of not less than one-third of the Parties.
NOTIFICATIONS
Article V(9) of the Convention, as amended by the Protocol
China
“ . . . the value of the national currency, in terms of SDR, of the People’s Republic of China is calculated in accordance with the method of valuation applied by the International Monetary Fund.”
Poland
“Poland will now calculate financial liabilities in cases of limitation of the liability of owners of sea-going ships and liability under the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund in terms of the Special Drawing Right, as defined by the International Monetary Fund.
However, those SDRs will be converted according to the method instigated by Poland, which is derived from the fact that Poland is not a member of the International Monetary Fund.
The method of conversion is that the Polish National Bank will fix a rate of exchange of the SDR to the Polish zloty through the conversion of the SDR to the United States dollar, according to the current rates of exchange quoted by Reuter. The US dollar will then be converted into Polish zloties at the rate of exchange quoted by the Polish National Bank from their current table of rates of foreign currencies.
The above method of calculation is in accordance with the provision of article II, paragraph 9 item (a) (in fine) of the Protocol to the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage and article II of the Protocol to the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage.”
Saudi Arabia
[translation] “However, this accession does not in any way mean or entail the recognition of the State of Israel, and does not lead to entering into any dealings with the State of Israel, which may be arranged by the above-mentioned Convention and the said Protocol.”
Switzerland
[translation] “The Federal Council declares, with reference to article V, paragraph 9(a) and (c) of the Convention, introduced by article II of the Protocol of 19 November 1976, that Switzerland calculates the value of its national currency in special drawing rights (SDR) in the following way:
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) notifies the International Monetary Fund (IMF) daily of the mean rate of the dollar of the United States of America on the Zurich currency market. The exchange value of one SDR in Swiss francs is determined from that dollar rate and the rate of the SDR in dollars calculated by IMF. On the basis of these values, SNB calculates a mean SDR rate which it will publish in its Monthly Gazette.”
U.S.S.R.
[translation] “In accordance with article V, paragraph 9(a) and (c) of the Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969 in the wording of article II of the Protocol of 1976 to this Convention it is declared that the value of the unit of “The Special Drawing Right” expressed in Soviet roubles is calculated on the basis of the US dollar rate in effect at the date of the calculation in relation to the unit of “The Special Drawing Right” determined by the International Monetary Fund, and the US dollar rate in effect at the same date in relation to the Soviet rouble, determined by the State Bank of the U.S.S.R.”
United Kingdom
“ . . . in accordance with article V(9)(c) of the Convention, as amended by article II(2) of the Protocol, the manner of calculation employed by the United Kingdom pursuant to article V(9)(a) of the Convention, as amended, shall be the method of valuation applied by the International Monetary Fund.”