LEGAL BASIS FOR WRECK REMOVAL ADOPTED

[proud_ionian]

source: MGN

A NEW international convention on wreck removal was adopted in Kenya last week. The Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007, will provide the legal basis for states to remove, or have removed, shipwrecks that may have the potential to affect adversely the safety of lives, goods and property at sea, as well as the marine environment.

Speaking at the close of the conference, IMO Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos told delegates, "This Convention, which establishes uniform international rules and procedures to ensure the prompt and effective removal of hazardous wrecks from the coastal waters of States Parties, will be a welcome addition to the impressive array of IMO instruments all aiming at improving the safety of navigation, security in maritime operations and the protection of the marine environment."

"By establishing a firm jurisdictional basis for dealing with hazardous wrecks, the Convention will, once in force, provide coastal States with the legal certainty for action they have so long sought," he added.

The Convention will fill a gap in the existing international legal framework, by providing the first set of uniform international rules aimed ensuring the prompt and effective removal of wrecks located beyond the territorial sea. The new convention also includes an optional clause enabling states to apply certain provisions to their territory, including their territorial sea.