535 



(2) The Organization shall notify Parties of the receipt of any 

 communications under the present Article and circulate to all Parties 

 any information communicated to it under sub-paragraphs (1) (b) to 

 ( f ) of the present Article. 



Article 12 



CASUALTIES TO SHIPS 



(1) Each Administration undertakes to conduct an investigation of 

 any casualty occurring to any of its ships subject to the provisions 

 of the Kegulations if such casualty has produced a major deleterious 

 effect upon the marine environment. 



(2) Each Party to the Convention undertakes to supply the Orga- 

 nization with information concerning the findings of such investiga- 

 tion, when it judges that such information may assist in determining 

 what changes in the present Convention might be desirable. 



Article 13 

 signature, ratification, acceptance, approval and accession 



( 1 ) The present Convention shall remain open for signature at the 

 Headquarters of the Organization from 15 January 1974 until 31 

 December 1974 and shall thereafter remain open for accession. States 

 may become Parties to the present 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 ; or 



(c) accession. 



(2) Ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be effected 

 by the deposit of an instrument to that effect with the Secretary- 

 General of the Organization. 



(3) The Secretary-General of the Organization shall inform all 

 States which have signed the present Convention or acceded to it of 

 any signature or of the deposit of any new instrument of ratification, 

 acceptance, approval or accession and the date of its deposit. 



Article 14 

 optional annexes 



(1) A State may at the time of signing, ratifying, accepting, ap- 

 proving or acceding to the present Convention declare that it does not 

 accept any one or all of Annexes III, IV and V (hereinafter referred 

 to as "Optional Annexes") of the present Convention. Subject to the 

 above, Parties to the Convention shall be bound by any Annex in its 

 entirety. 



(2) A State which has declared that it is not bound by an Optional 

 Annex may at any time accept such Annex by depositing with the 

 Organization an instrument of the kind referred to in Article 13(2). 



(3) A State which makes a declaration under paragraph (1) of the 

 present Article in respect of an Optional Annex and which has not 



