Article 23 Limitation of actions 1 Any action relating to payment under this Convention shall be time-barred if judicial or arbitral proceedings have not been instituted within a period of two years. The limitation period commences on the day on which the salvage operations are terminated. 2 3 The person against whom a claim is made may at any time during the running of the limitation period extend that period by a declaration to the claimant. This period may in the like manner be further extended. An action for indemnity by a person liable may be instituted even after the expiration of the limitation period provided for in the preceding paragraphs, if brought within the time allowed by the law of the State where proceedings are instituted. Article 24 Interest The right of the salvor to interest on any payment due under this Convention shall be determined according to the law of the State in which the tribunal seized of the case is situated. Article 25 State-owned cargoes Unless the State owner consents, no provision of this Convention shall be used as a basis for the seizure, arrest or detention by any legal process of, nor for any proceedings in rem against, non-commercial cargoes owned by a State and entitled, at the time of the salvage operations, to sovereign immunity under generally recognized principles of international law. Article 26 Humanitarian cargoes No provision of this Convention shall be used as a basis for the seizure, arrest or detention of humanitarian cargoes donated by a State, if such State has agreed to pay for salvage services rendered in respect of such humanitarian cargoes. Article 27 Publication of arbitral awards States Parties shall encourage, as far as possible and with the consent of the parties, the publication of arbitral awards made in salvage cases. 1 Chapter V-Final clauses Article 28 Signature, ratification, acceptance, approval and accession This Convention shall be open for signature at the Headquarters of the Organization from 1 July 1989 to 30 June 1990 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; or (b) signature subject to ratification, acceptance or approval, followed by ratification, acceptance or approval; ог (c) 3 accession. Ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument to that effect with the Secretary-General. 1 2 Article 29 Entry into force This Convention shall enter into force one year after the date on which 15 States have expressed their consent to be bound by it. For a State which expresses its consent to be bound by this Convention after the conditions for entry into force thereof have been met, such consent shall take effect one year after the date of expression of such consent. Article 30 Reservations 1 Any State may, at the time of signature, ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, reserve the right not to apply the provisions of this Convention: (a) when the salvage operation takes place in inland waters and all vessels involved are of inland navigation; (b) when the salvage operations take place in inland waters and no vessel is involved; when the property involved is maritime cultural property of prehistoric, archaeological or historic interest and is situated on the sea-bed. 2 3 Reservations made at the time of signature are subject to confirmation upon ratification, acceptance or approval. Any State which has made a reservation to this Convention may withdraw it at any time by means of a notification addressed to the Secretary-General. Such withdrawal shall take effect on the date the notification is received. If the notification states that the withdrawal of a reservation is to take effect on a date specified therein, and such date is later than the date the notification is received by the Secretary-General, the withdrawal shall take effect on such later date. Article 31 1 2 3 Denunciation This Convention may be denounced by any State Party at any time after the expiry of one year from the date on which this Convention enters into force for that State. Denunciation shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of denunciation with the Secretary-General. A denunciation shall take effect one year, or such longer period as may be specified in the instrument of denunciation, after the receipt of the instrument of denunciation by the Secretary-General. Article 32 Revision and amendment 1 A conference for the purpose of revising or amending this Convention may be convened by the Organization. 2 3 The Secretary-General shall convene a conference of the States Parties to this Convention for revising or amending the Convention, at the request of eight States Parties, or one fourth of the States Parties, whichever is the higher figure. Any consent to be bound to this Convention expressed after the date of entry into force of an amendment to this Convention shall be deemed to apply to the Convention as amended. (a) inform all States which have signed this Convention or acceded thereto, and all Members of the Organization, of: (i) each new signature or deposit of an instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession together with the date thereof; (iii) the deposit of any instrument of denunciation of this Convention together with the date on which it is received and the date on which the denunciation takes effect; (v) the receipt of any reservation, declaration or notification made under this Convention; 3 (b) transmit certified true copies of this Convention to all States which have signed this Convention or acceded thereto. As soon as this Convention enters into force, a certified true copy thereof shall be transmitted by the Depositary to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for registration and publication in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations. Article 34 Languages This Convention is established in a single original in the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish languages, each text being equally authentic. IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned being duly authorized by their respective Governments for that purpose have signed this Convention. DONE AT LONDON this twenty-eighth day of April one thousand nine hundred and eighty-nine. Accord of Cooperation for the Protection of the Coasts and Waters of the Northeast Atlantic Against Pollution Due to Hydrocarbons or Other Harmful Substances, Lisbon, 1990 Done at Lisbon 17 October 1990 Not in force Depositary: Portugal Primary source citation: 30 ILM 1227 (1990)* ACCORD OF COOPERATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE COASTS AND WATERS OF THE NORTHEAST ATLANTIC AGAINST POLLUTION DUE TO HYDROCARBONS OR OTHER HARMFUL SUBSTANCES The Governments of the Kingdom of Spain, the French Republic, the Kingdom of Morocco, and the Portuguese Republic, and the European Economic Community, meeting at the conference for the Protection of Coasts and Waters of the Northeast Atlantic against Pollution due to Hydrocarbons or other Harmful Substances, held at Lisbon, October 17, 1990, CONSCIOUS of the necessity to protect the human environment in general and the marine environment in particular, RECOGNIZING that pollution of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean by hydrocarbons and other harmful substances may threaten the marine environment in general and the interests of littoral states in particular, NOTING that such pollution has many causes, but RECOGNIZING that special measures are necessary in the case of accidents and other occurrences of pollution due to ships as well as fixed or floating platforms, CONCERNED to act promptly and efficaciously in the eventuality of an occurance of marine pollution, which threatens the coast or related interests of a littoral state, in order to reduce the harm caused by such an incident, UNDERLINING the importance of effective preparation at the national level to combat incidents of pollution at sea, RECOGNIZING FURTHER the importance of bringing about reciprocal assistance and international cooperation among the states for the purpose of protecting their coasts and related interests, UNDERLINING also the importance of measures taken individually or jointly to minimize the risk of incidents of pollution at sea, •Translation provided by the American Society of International Law. |