432 



party to the International Court of Justice for decision unless the 

 parties in dispute agree to submit it to arbitration. 



xVrtiole XIV 



(1) The present Convention shall remain open for signatui-e for 

 three months from this day's date and sliall thereafter I'emain open 

 for accept nnce. 



(-) Governments may become parties to the Convention bj" — 

 [i) sii2;naturo Nvithout reservation as to acceptance; 

 (ii) signature subject to acceptance followed by acceptance ; or 

 (iii) acceptance. 

 {o) Acceptance shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument 

 of acceptance with the Bureau, which shall inform all Governments 

 that \\ii\o alivady signed or accepted the Convention of each sig- 

 nature and deposit of an acceptance and of the date of such signature 

 or deposit. 



Article XV 



(1) The present Convention shall come into force twelve months 

 after the date on which not less than ten Governments have become 

 parties to the ConveiUion, including live Governments of countries 

 each with not less than 500,000 gross tons of tanker tonnage. • 



(*2) — {a) For each Government which signs the Convention with- 

 out reservation as to acceptance or accepts the Convention Ix^fore the 

 date on which the Convention comes into force in accordance with 

 paragraph (1) of this Article it shall come into force on that date. 

 For each Government which accepts the Convention on or after that, 

 date, it shall come into force thi-ee months after the date of the 

 deposit of that Government's acceptance. 



{h) The Bureau shall, as soon as possible, inform all Governments 

 which have signed or accepted the Convention of the date on which 

 it will come uuo force. 



AlMlOLE XVI 



[\) T'pon the request of any Contracting Government a proposed 

 amendment of the present Convent itm shall be communicated by the 

 Bureau to all Contracting Governments for consideration. 



(i2) Any amendment communicated to Contracting Governments 

 for consideration under paragraph (1) of this Article shall be deemed 

 to have been accepted by all Contracting Governments and shall come 

 into force on the expiration of a period of six months after it has 

 l>een so communicate<i, unless any one of the Contracting Govern- 

 ments shall have made a declaration not less than two months before 

 the expimtion of that period that it does not accept the amendment. 



(3) — ((7) A conference of Contracting Governments to consider 

 amendments of the Convention proposed by any Contracting Govern- 

 ment shall be convened by the Bureau upon the request of one-third 

 of the Contractino; Governments. 



