ADOPTED: at the diplomatic conference of the IMO held 19–23 March 2001 at its headquarters in London

ENTERED INTO FORCE: 21 November 2008

DEPOSITARY: IMO, London

SECRETARY: IMO, London

IMPLEMENTATION

SIGNATURE, RATIFICATION, ACCEPTANCE, APPROVAL, ACCESSION

Article XII

1. This Convention shall be open for signature at the Headquarters of the Organization from 1 October 2001 until 30 September 2002 and shall thereafter remain open for accession.

2. States may express their consent to be bound by 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 Secretary-General.

4. Any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession deposited after the entry into force of an amendment to this Convention with respect to all existing State Parties, or after the completion of all measures required for the entry into force of the amendment with respect to those State Parties shall be deemed to apply to this Convention as modified by the amendment.

ENTRY INTO FORCE

Article XIV

1. This Convention shall enter into force one year following the date on which 18 States, included five States each with ships whose combined gross tonnage is not less than 1,000,000 have either signed it without reservation as to ratification, acceptance or approval or have deposited instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Secretary-General.

2. For any State which ratifies, accepts, approves or accedes to it after the conditions in paragraph 1 for entry into force have been met, this Convention shall enter into force 3 months after the date of deposit by such State of the appropriate instrument.

DENUNCIATION

Article XV

1. This Convention may be denounced by any State Party at any time after the date on which this Convention comes into force for that State.

2. Denunciation shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument with the Secretary-General.

3. A 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 XVI

1. A conference for the purpose of revising or amending this Convention may be convened by the Organization.

2. The Organization shall convene a conference of the States Parties for revising or amending this Convention at the request of not less than one-third of the States Parties.

DECLARATIONS AND RESERVATIONS

Denmark

In connection with Denmark’s signature of the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2002, Denmark declares that it reserves the right at a later stage to make a declaration indicating the relevant internal Community rules which apply in the relation between Denmark and the other Member States of the European Community on the rules on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments covered by the Convention.

Finland

Judgments on matters covered by the Convention shall, when given by a court of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom, be recognised and enforced in Finland according to the relevant internal Community rules on the subject.

Germany

Judgments on matters within the scope of this Convention, when given by a court in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden or United Kingdom, shall be recognized and enforced in the Federal Republic of Germany in accordance with the relevant internal Community rules (these rules are currently laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No. 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (Official Journal of the European Communities L 12 of 16 January 2001, page 1 ff.)).

Declaration of 27 September 2002

The Federal Republic of Germany informs that the signature is in accordance with the Council Decision [of 19 September 2002 authorising the Member States, in the interest of the European Community, to sign, ratify or accede to the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001 (the Bunkers Convention)].

Sweden

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden declares that judgments on matters covered by the Convention shall, when given by a court of Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Northern Ireland, Portugal or Spain be recognised and enforced in Sweden according to the relevant internal Community rules on the subject.

United Kingdom

Judgments on matters covered by the Convention shall, when given by a court of Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain or Sweden be recognised and enforced in the United Kingdom according to the relevant internal Community rules on the subject.