ADOPTED: Done at Cape Town, 11 October 2012

ENTERED INTO FORCE: Not yet in force

DEPOSITARY: IMO, London

SECRETARY: IMO, London

IMPLEMENTATION

SIGNATURE, RATIFICATION, ACCEPTANCE, APPROVAL AND ACCESSION

Article III

(1) This Agreement shall remain open for signature at the Headquarters of the Organization from 11 February 2013 to 10 February 2014 and shall thereafter remain open for accession.

(2) All States may become Parties to this Agreement by expressing their consent to be bound by the Agreement by:

• (a) signature without reservation as to ratification, acceptance or approval; or
• (b) signature subject to ratification, acceptance or approval followed by ratification, acceptance or approval; or
• (c) signature subject to the procedure set out in paragraph (4) of this article; or
• (d) accession.

(3) Ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument to that effect with the Secretary-General.

(4) A State which has deposited before the date of the adoption of this Agreement an instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval of or accession to the 1993 Torremolinos Protocol and which has signed this Agreement in accordance with paragraph (2)(c) of this article shall be deemed to have expressed its consent to be bound by this Agreement 12 months after the date of the adoption of this Agreement unless that State notifies the depositary in writing before that date that it is not availing itself of the simplified procedure set out in this paragraph.

ENTRY INTO FORCE

Article IV

(1) This Agreement shall enter into force 12 months after the date on which not less than 22 States the aggregate number of whose fishing vessels of 24 m in length and over operating on the high seas is not less than 3,600 have expressed their consent to be bound by it.

(2) For a State which deposits an instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession in respect of this Agreement after the requirements for entry into force thereof have been met but prior to the date of entry into force, the ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall take effect on the date of entry into force of this Agreement or three months after the date of deposit of the instrument, whichever is the later date.

(3) For a State which deposits an instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession in respect of this Agreement after the date on which it enters into force, this Agreement shall take effect three months after the date of deposit of the instrument.

(4) After the date on which an amendment to this Agreement is deemed to have been accepted under article XI of the 1993 Torremolinos Protocol, as applied to this Agreement pursuant to article II, any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession deposited shall apply to this Agreement as amended.