7. INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE PREVEN- 

 TION OF POLLUTION FROM SHIPS, NOVEMBER 2, 

 1973. Not In Force'' 



Done at London^ November 2^ 1973; Opened for signature January 15^ 

 197Ii.; Signed on hehalf of the United States^ March 7, 197J[,. 



The Parties to the Convention^ 



Being conscious of the need to preserve the human environment in 

 general and the marine environment in particular, 



Recognizing that deliberate, negligent or accidental release of oil 

 and other harmful substances from ships constitutes a serious source 

 of pollution, 



Recognizing also the importance of the International Convention 

 for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954, as being the 

 first multilateral instrument to be concluded with the prime objective 

 of protecting the environment, and appreciating the significant con- 

 tribution which that Convention has made in preserving the seas and 

 coastal environment from pollution, 



Desiring to achieve the complete elimination of intentional pollu- 

 tion of the marine environment by oil and other harmful substances 

 and the minimization of accidental discharge of such substances. 



Considering that this object may best be achieved by establishing 

 rules not limited to oil pollution having a universal purport, 



Have agreed as follows: 



Article 1 

 general obligatiolsrs under the convention" 



(1) The Parties to the Convention undertake to give effect to the 

 provisions of the present Convention and those Annexes thereto by 

 which they are bound, in order to prevent the pollution of the marine 

 environment by the discharge of harmful substances or effluents con- 

 taining such substances in contravention of the Convention. 



(2) Unless expressly provided otherwise, a reference to the present 

 Convention constitutes at the same time a reference to its Protocols 

 and to the Annexes. 



"Source: International Legal Materials, v. 12, No. 6, November 1973 : 1319-1444. 



Ratified by: No ratifications, as of Dec. 31. ]974. 



[Reproduced from I.M.C.O. Document MP/CONF/WP.35 of November 2, 1973. 



[The Convention will be opened for signature from January 15, 1974 through Decem- 

 ber 31, 1974. The Convention includes five annexes and two protocols. Annexes III, IV, 

 and V are so-called "optional annexes", and a state may declare that it does not accept 

 any one or all of these. Annex I (p. 540) concerns the regulations for oil pollution pre- 

 vention; Annex II (p. 574) deals with the control of pollution by noxious liquid sub- 

 stances; Annex III (p. 596) contains the regulations for the prevention of pollution by 

 harmful substances carried in packaged forms; Annex IV (p. 598), the regulations for 

 the prevention of pollution by sewage from sliips ; Annex V (p. 605), the regulations for 

 the prevention of pollution by garbage from ships. Protocol I contains the provisions for 

 reports on incidents involving harmful substances, and Protocol II concerns arbitration. 

 These protocols appear respectively at pages 608 and 610.] 



(529) 



