Article 18 Amendments

1.

2.

a.

Upon the request of a Contracting Government, any amendment proposed by it to the present Convention shall be communicated by the Organization to all Contracting Governments for consideration with a view to unanimous acceptance.

b.

Any such amendment shall enter into force twelve months after the date of its acceptance by all Contracting Governments unless an earlier date is agreed upon. A Contracting Government which does not communicate its acceptance or rejection of the amendment to the Organization within twenty-four months of its first communication by the latter shall be deemed to have accepted the amendment.

3.

a.

Upon the request of a Contracting Government, any amendment proposed by it to the present Convention will be considered in the Organization. If adopted by a majority of two-thirds of those present and voting in the Maritime Safety Committee of the Organization, such amendment shall be communicated to all Members of the Organization and all Contracting Governments at least six months prior to its consideration by the Assembly of the Organization.

b.

If adopted by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting in the Assembly, the amendment shall be communicated by the Organization to all Contracting Governments for their acceptance.

c.

Such amendment shall come into force twelve months after the date on which it is accepted by two-thirds of the Contracting Governments. The amendment shall come into force with respect to all Contracting Governments except those which, before it comes into force, make a declaration that they do not accept the amendment.

d.

The Assembly, by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting, including two-thirds of the Governments represented on the Maritime Safety Committee and present and voting in the Assembly, may propose a determination at the time of its adoption that an amendment is of such an important nature that any Contracting Government which makes a declaration under sub-paragraph c of this paragraph and which does not accept the amendment within a period of twelve months after it comes into force, shall cease to be a party to the present Convention upon the expiry of that period. This determination shall be subject to the prior acceptance of two-thirds of the Contracting Governments.

e.

Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent the Contracting Government which first proposed action under this paragraph on an amendment to the present Convention from taking at any time such alternative action as it deems desirable in accordance with paragraphs 2 or 4 of this Article.

4.

a.

Upon the request of a Contracting Government, concurred in by at least one-third of the Contracting Governments, a conference of Governments will be convened by the Organization to consider amendments to the present Convention.

b.

Every amendment adopted by such a conference by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting of the Contracting Governments shall be communicated by the Organization to all Contracting Governments for their acceptance.

c.

Such amendment shall come into force twelve months after the date on which it is accepted by two-thirds of the Contracting Governments. The amendment shall come into force with respect to all Contracting Governments except those which, before it comes into force, make a declaration that they do not accept the amendment.

d.

By a two-thirds majority of those present and voting, a conference convened under sub-paragraph a of this paragraph may determine at the time of its adoption that an amendment is of such an important nature that any Contracting Government which makes a declaration under sub-paragraph c of this paragraph, and which does not accept the amendment within a period of twelve months after it comes into force, shall cease to be a Party to the present Convention upon the expiry of that period.

5.

6.