constitute not less than fifty per cent of the gross tonnage of the world’s mer- 
chant shipping, have become parties to it in accordance with Article 18. 
(2) An Optional Annex shall enter into force twelve months after the date on 
which the conditions stipulated in paragraph (1) of the present Article have 
been satisfied in relation to that Annex. 
(3) The Organization shall inform the States which have signed the present 
Convention or acceded to it of the date on which it enters into force and of the 
date on which an Optional Annex enters into force in accordance with paragraph 
(2) of the present Article. 
(4) For States which have deposited an instrument of ratification, accept- 
ance, approval or accession in respect of the present Convention or any Optional 
Annex 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 the Convention or 
such Annex or three months after the date of deposit of the instrument which- 
ever is the later date. 
(5) For States which have deposited an instrument of ratification, acceptance 
approval or accession after the date on which the Convention or an Optional 
Annex entered into force, the Convention or the Optional Annex shall become 
effective three months after the date of deposit of the instrument. 
(6) After the date on which all the conditions required under Article 16 to 
bring an amendment to the present Convention or an Optional Annex into force 
have bee fulfilled, any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or acces- 
sion deposited shall apply to the Oonvention or Annex as amended. 
Article 16 - 
AMENDMENTS 
(1) The present Convention may be amended by any of the procedures speci- 
fied in the following paragraphs. 
(2) Amendments after consideration by the Organization : 
(a) any amendment proposed by a Party to the Convention shall be sub- 
mitted to the Organization and circulated by its Secretary-General to all 
Members of the Organization and all Parties at least six months prior to 
its consideration ; 
(b) any amendment proposed and circulated as above shall be submitted 
to an appropriate body by the Organization for consideration ; 
(c) Parties to the Convention, whether or not Members of the Organiza- 
Hone shall be entitled to participate in the proceedings of the appropriate 
ody ; 
(d) amendments shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority of only the 
Parties to the Convention present and voting ; 
(e) if adopted in accordance with sub-paragraph (d) above, amendments 
shall be communicated by the Secretary-General of the Organization to all 
the Parties to the Convention for acceptance; 
(f) an amendment shall be deemed to have been accepted in the follow- 
ing circumstances: 
(i) an amendment to an Article of the Convention shall be deemed to 
have been accepted on the date on which it is accepted by two-thirds of 
the Parties, the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less 
than fifty per cent of the gross tonnage of the world’s merchant fleet ; 
(ii) an amendment to an Annex to the Convention shall be deemed to 
have been accepted in accordance with the procedure specified in sub- 
paragraph (f) (iii) unless the appropriate body, at the time of its 
adoption, determines that the amendment shall be deemed to have been 
accepted on the date on which it is accepted by two-thirds of the Parties, 
the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less than fifty per 
cent of the gross tonnage of the world’s merchant fieet. Nevertheless, at 
any time before the entry into force of an amendment to an Annex to 
the Convention, a Party may notify the Seeretary-General of the Orga- 
nization that its express approval will be necessary before the amend- 
ment enters into force for it. The latter shall bring such notification and 
the date of its receipt to the notice of Parties ; 
(iii) an amendment to an Appendix to an Annex to the Convention 
shall be deemed to have been accepted at the end of a period to be deter- 
mined by the appropriate body at the time of its adoption, which period 
