40 Conventions
8.
The UK is a party to 25 of the 28 IMO Conventions or Instruments and has signed, but not ratified, the remaining three. Two of these relate to compensation for marine oil pollution and will be covered in the Merchant Shipping Bill. The UK is responsible for the extension of the Conventions to the Dependent Territories. The Conventions on limitation of liability and compensation for marine oil pollution have been extended to almost all the Dependent Territories. The Facilitation Convention, which is non mandatory, has only been extended to the Isle of Man.
9.
The Department's general policy has been to extend the Conventions only to the Dependent Territories when it is satisfied
that the local administration has the necessary staff to
administer the Conventions. A minority of the Conventions have
been extended to Dependent Territories (see Annex 3 attached).
Nevertheless, these Territories have not felt inhibited in
expanding their registers.
Proposed Legislative Changes
10.
The Merchant Shipping Bill will change the
will change the nature of the Secretary of State's responsibilities for the performance of the Dependent Territories. The Secretary of State will control these registers by assigning each one to a category of maximum tonnage,
or type of vessel, reflecting the
the capability of its maritime
administration. Once the categorisation arrangements are in place,
the United Kingdom will be in a position to extend all the relevant international Conventions to all Dependent Territories.
The Categorisation arrangements would serve to ensure that a Dependent Territory could only register ships to which it was capable of applying the appropriate Convention standards.
Options
11. This assumption of responsibilities by the Secretary of State will call into question the continuing absence of any
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Private notes are available after approval.