The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has ratified IMO’s Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, bringing the total number of States to accede to the treaty to 35, according to IMO.
On May 8th, Mr. Kim Kwang Min, Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Democratic People’s Republicof Korea to IMO, Embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in London, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim to deposit the instrument of accession.
The Convention, which entered into force in 2015, provides the legal basis for States to remove, or have removed, shipwrecks that may threaten the safety of lives, goods and property at sea, as well as the marine environment. The Convention also includes an optional clause enabling States Parties to apply certain provisions to their territory, including their territorial sea.
The Convention was adopted in 2007 and its Contracting States currently represent just over 60% of the world’s merchant fleet tonnage.
Articles in the Convention cover:
- reporting and locating ships and wrecks – covering the reporting of casualties to the nearest coastal State; warnings to mariners and coastal States about the wreck; and action by the coastal State to locate the ship or wreck;
- criteria for determining the hazard posed by wrecks, including depth of water above the wreck, proximity of shipping routes, traffic density and frequency, type of traffic and vulnerability of port facilities. Environmental criteria such as damage likely to result from the release into the marine environment of cargo or oil are also included;
- measures to facilitate the removal of wrecks, including rights and obligations to remove hazardous ships and wrecks – which sets out when the shipowner is responsible for removing the wreck and when a State may intervene;
- liability of the owner for the costs of locating, marking and removing ships and wrecks – the registered shipowner is required to maintain compulsory insurance or other financial security to cover liability under the convention; and
- settlement of disputes.
