TREATY
ON MERCHANT NAVIGATION BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND
AND THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS
Her Majesty The Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, and the Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics;
Desiring to develop merchant navigation between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union and to contribute to the development of international navigation on the basis of the principles of the freedom of merchant shipping;
Have decided to conclude the present Treaty and for this purpose have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries:
Her Majesty The Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, (hereinafter referred to as "Her Britannic Majesty "):
For the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
Goronwy Owen Roberts, Esquire, M.P.,
one of Her Majesty's Ministers of State for Foreign Affairs;
Joseph Percival William Mallalieu, Esquire, M.P.,
one of Her Majesty's Ministers of State in the Board of Trade;
The Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics:
Monsieur Victor Georgievich Bakaev,
Minister of the Merchant Marine of the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics;
Who, having communicated to each other their respective full powers, which were found in good and due form, have agreed as follows:-
ARTICLE 1
For the purposes of this Treaty:
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(a) the term vessel of a High Contracting Party" shall mean any vessel registered at a port of that Party; the term shall not, however, include any ship of war;
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(b) the term national" shall mean, in relation to a High Contracting
Party, any person whom that Party recognises as its national; and
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(c) the term member of the crew" shall mean any person actually employed for duties on board during a voyage in the working or service of a vessel and included in the crew list.
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ARTICLE 2
The territories of the High Contracting Parties to which the present Treaty applies are:
(a) on the part of the Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and
(b) on the part of Her Britannic Majesty, the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland.
ARTICLE 3
The High Contracting Parties shall grant all possible assistance to the freedom of merchant navigation and shall refrain from any actions which might cause harm to the normal development of international navigation.
ARTICLE 4
The High Contracting Parties shall, within the limits of their respective legislation, continue their efforts to maintain and to develop effective working relationships between the authorities responsible for maritime transport in their countries. In particular, the High Contracting Parties agree to foster mutual consultation and the exchange of information between the Government Departments responsible for maritime affairs in their countries and to encourage the development of contacts between their respective shipping industries.
ARTICLE 5
(1) The High Contracting Parties agree to follow in international shipping principles of free and fair competition. In particular, each High Contracting Party shall abstain from taking measures which may limit the opportunities of vessels of the other High Contracting Party to compete in relation to trade between its own ports and ports of the other High Contracting Party on equal commercial conditions; and shall in general apply the above principles also to trade between its ports and the ports of third countries.
(2) The provisions of this Article shall not affect the right of the vessels of third countries to participate in trade between the ports of the High Contracting Parties.
ARTICLE 6
(1) Each High Contracting Party shall afford to vessels of the other High Contracting Party the same treatment as it affords to its own vessels engaged on international voyages in respect of free access to ports, use of ports for loading and unloading of cargoes and for embarking and disembarking passengers, and normal commercial operations connected with the above; and also in respect of the payment of port dues and port taxes.
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