The goals of the Organization are:

(a) ¹

To establish a system of cooperation between governments in the field of regulation and government practices relating to technical issues of all kinds that are of interest to international commercial shipping, to encourage And to facilitate the general adoption of as high standards as possible with regard to maritime safety, the efficiency of navigation, the prevention of pollution of the seas by ships and the control of such pollution and the treatment of Administrative and legal issues related to the objectives set out in this Article;

(b)

Encourage the abandonment of discriminatory measures and the non-essential restrictions applied by Governments to international commercial shipping, with a view to making the resources available to maritime services The aid and encouragement given by a Government for the development of its national merchant navy and for security purposes shall not constitute

Themselves discrimination, provided that such assistance and encouragement is not based on measures designed to restrict the freedom of ships of all flags to participate in international trade;

(c)

Examine, in accordance with Part II, questions relating to unfair restrictive practices of marine shipping undertakings;

(d) ²

To consider all matters relating to maritime navigation and its effects on the marine environment of which it may be seized by any agency or specialized agency of the United Nations;

(e)

To enable the exchange of information between Governments on the issues under consideration by the Organization.

To achieve the goals set out in Part I, the Organization shall:

(a)

Subject to the provisions of s. 3, consider the questions in paras. (a), (b) and (c) of Art. 1 to be able to submit to it any Member, any body, any specialized agency of the United Nations or any other intergovernmental organization, as well as any questions referred to it under para. (d) Article 1 and make recommendations on them;

(b)

Prepare draft conventions, agreements and other appropriate instruments, recommend them to Governments and intergovernmental organizations and convene such conferences as it deems necessary;

(c)

Establish a system of consultations between Members and exchange of information between governments;

(d)

Perform the functions arising out of paras. (a), (b) and (c) of this article, including those assigned to it under or under international instruments relating to maritime matters and the effects of marine navigation on the marine environment;

(e)

Facilitates, as appropriate, and in accordance with the provisions of Part X, technical cooperation within the framework of the functions of the Organization.

For matters that it considers likely to be resolved by the usual commercial methods of international maritime transport, the Organisation recommends this method of regulation. If it is of the opinion that a matter concerning the unfair restrictive practices of marine shipping undertakings is not subject to regulation by the usual commercial methods of international maritime transport or If, to the test, it has not been possible to resolve it by these methods, the Organization, provided that the matter has first been the subject of direct negotiations between the interested members, examines the matter, at the request of one of them.

All States may become members of the Organization under the conditions set out in Part III.

Members of the United Nations may become members of the United Nations by acceding to the Convention in accordance with the provisions of Art. 71.

Non-member States of the United Nations that have been invited to send representatives to the United Nations Maritime Conference convened in Geneva on 19 February 1948 may become members by acceding to the Convention in accordance with the provisions of Art. 71.

Any State which has no standing to become a member under Art. 5 or s. 6 may request, through the Secretary-General of the Organization, to become a member; he shall be admitted as a member when he or she has acceded to the Convention in accordance with the provisions of Art. 71, provided that, on the recommendation of the Council, its application for admission has been approved by two thirds of the members of the Organisation other than the associate members.

Any territory or group of territories to which the Convention has been made applicable under Art. 72, by the Member responsible for international relations or by the United Nations, may become an associate member of the Organization by written notification to the Secretary-General of the Organization by written notification to the Secretary-General Of the United Nations by the responsible member, or, where appropriate, by the United Nations.

An Associate Member shall have the rights and obligations recognized to any Member by the Convention. It cannot, however, take part in the Council's vote or be part of that body. Subject to this reservation, the word "Member" in this Convention shall be considered, unless the context otherwise indicates, as also designating Associate Members.

No State or territory shall become or remain a member of the Organization contrary to a resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The Organization shall comprise an Assembly, a Council, a Maritime Safety Committee, a Legal Committee, a Committee on the Protection of the Marine Environment, a Committee on Technical Cooperation and such subsidiary bodies as the Organization would consider Time to create, as well as a Secretariat.

The Assembly shall be composed of all members.

The Assembly shall meet in ordinary session once every two years. An extraordinary session shall be held, after sixty days' notice, whenever one third of the members have notified the Secretary-General of the request, or at any time if the Council considers it necessary, after giving notice of the request. 60 days as well.

The majority of members other than associate members shall be required to constitute a quorum at meetings of the Assembly.

The functions of the Assembly are as follows:

(a)

Elect at each regular session from among its members other than the Associate Members a Chairman and two Vice-Presidents who will remain in office until the next ordinary session;

(b)

Establish its own rules of procedure, unless otherwise provided for in the Convention;

(c)

Establish, if it deems it necessary, any temporary subsidiary bodies or, on the recommendation of the Council, permanent;

(d)

Elect the members to be represented in the Council, in accordance with art. 17;

(e)

To receive and review the reports of the Board and to rule on any matter before it;

(f)

Approve the work programme of the Organization;

(g)

Vote on the budget and determine the financial functioning of the Organization, in accordance with Part XII;

(h)

Review expenditures and approve the accounts of the Organization;

(i)

To fulfil the functions of the Organization, subject to the reservation that the Assembly shall return to the Council the matters referred to in subs. (a) and (b) of Art. 2 to make recommendations or propose appropriate instruments, subject to the proviso that all instruments or recommendations submitted by the Council to the Assembly and that the Assembly will not be accepted shall be referred to the Council for further consideration, possibly accompanied by the comments of the Assembly;

(j)

Recommending to Members the adoption of rules and guidelines on maritime safety, the prevention of pollution of the seas by ships, the fight against pollution and other matters concerning effects

Marine navigation on the marine environment assigned to the Organization under or under international instruments, or the adoption of amendments to those rules and directives that have been submitted to it;

(k)

To take any measure it deems appropriate in order to promote technical cooperation in accordance with the provisions of para. (e) art. 2, taking into account the specific needs of developing countries;

(l)

Decide to convene an international conference or to follow any other appropriate procedure for the adoption of international conventions or amendments to international conventions drawn up by the Committee on Maritime Safety The Committee on the Protection of the Marine Environment, the Committee on Technical Cooperation or other bodies of the Organization;

(m)

Refer to the Council, for consideration or decision, any matter within the competence of the Organization, being heard, however, that the burden of making recommendations, provided for in para. (j) of this section, shall not be delegated.

The Council consists of forty members elected by the Assembly.

In electing the Members of the Council, the Assembly observes the following principles:

(a)

Ten are states that are most interested in providing international maritime navigation services;

(b)

Ten are other states that are most interested in international maritime trade;

(c)

Twenty are States which have not been elected under paras. (a) or (b) above, which have special interests in shipping or navigation and whose election ensures that all the major geographical regions of the world are represented in the Council.

Members represented in the Board under s. 16, remain in office until the close of the next ordinary session of the Assembly. Retiring members are eligible for re-election.

(a) The Council shall appoint its President and adopt its rules of procedure, except as otherwise provided in this Convention.

(b) Twenty-six members of the Council constitute a quorum. ²

(c) The Council shall meet, after one month's notice, upon convocation by its President or at the request of at least four of its members, as often as may be necessary for the proper execution of its mission. It shall meet in any place it deems appropriate.

The Council, if it considers an issue that is of particular interest to a member of the organization, invites the organization to participate without the right to vote in its deliberations.

(a) The Council considered the draft programme of work and the budget estimates prepared by the Secretary-General in the light of the proposals of the Committee on Marine Safety, the Legal Committee, the Committee on the Protection of the Marine Environment, the The Committee on Technical Cooperation and other bodies of the Organization shall take this into account in establishing and submitting to the Assembly the programme of work and the budget of the Organization, having regard to the general interest and priorities of the Organization.

(b) The Council receives the reports, proposals and recommendations of the Committee on Maritime Safety, the Legal Committee, the Committee on the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Committee on Technical Cooperation, as well as other bodies The Organization. It shall transmit them to the Assembly and, if the Assembly does not sit, to the Members for information, together with its observations and recommendations.

(c) The Council shall not consider matters relating to art. 28, 33, 38 and 43, after consultation with the Committee on Marine Safety, the Legal Committee, the Marine Environment Protection Committee or the Technical Cooperation Committee as the case may be.

The Council, with the approval of the Assembly shall appoint the Secretary-General. The Council shall take all necessary steps to recruit the necessary staff. It sets out the terms and conditions of employment of the Secretary-General and staff, drawing as much as possible from the arrangements made by the United Nations and its specialized agencies.

At each regular session, the Council shall report to the Assembly on the work of the Organization since the previous ordinary session.

The Council shall submit to the Assembly the accounts of the Organization, together with its observations and recommendations.

(a) The Council may conclude agreements or make arrangements for relations with other organizations, in accordance with the provisions of Part XV. These agreements and provisions will be subject to the approval of the Assembly.

(b) Taking into account the provisions of Part XV and the relations with other bodies maintained by the respective committees under Art. 28, 33 38 and 43, the Council assures between sessions of the Assembly relations with other organisations.

Between sessions of the Assembly, the Council shall exercise all the functions devolved to the Organisation, with the exception of the burden of making recommendations resulting from para. (j) s. 15. In particular, the Council shall coordinate the activities of the organs of the Organization and may make the necessary adjustments to the programme of work, to the extent strictly necessary, in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the Organization.

The Committee on Safe Seas is composed of all Members.

(a) The Committee on Maritime Safety shall examine all matters which fall within the competence of the Organization, such as aids to maritime navigation, the construction and equipment of ships, crew matters to the extent that they Interest in safety, regulations to prevent collisions, handling of dangerous cargoes, regulation of safety at sea, hydrographic information, logbooks and documents relevant to the Marine navigation, marine accident investigations, salvage of property and Persons as well as any other matters directly related to marine safety.

(b) The Committee on Maritime Safety shall take all necessary measures to carry out the tasks entrusted to it by this Convention, the Assembly or the Council, or which may be entrusted to it under this Article to the Under any other international instrument and which may be accepted by the Organization.

(c) Taking into account the provisions of art. 25, the Committee on Maritime Safety, at the request of the Assembly and ² The Council, or if it considers it useful in the interests of its own work, maintains close relations with other bodies to promote the aims of the Organization.

The Committee on Marine Safety submits to the Board:

(a)

Proposals for safety regulations or amendments to the safety regulations that the Committee has developed;

(b)

The recommendations and guidelines it has developed,

(c)

The report on its work since the last session of the Council.

The Committee on Marine Safety meets at least once a year. It shall elect its Bureau once a year and adopt its rules of procedure.

Notwithstanding anything contrary to this Convention but subject to the provisions of Art. 27, the Committee on Marine Safety, when exercising the functions assigned to it under or under an international convention or other instrument, shall comply with the relevant provisions of that Convention or Instrument, in particular for the procedural rules to be followed.

The Legal Committee shall be composed of all Members.

(a) The Legal Committee shall examine all legal matters within the competence of the Organization.

(b) The Legal Committee shall take all necessary measures to carry out the tasks entrusted to it by this Convention, the Assembly or the Council, or which may be entrusted to it in the context of this article under or under any Other international instrument which may be accepted by the Organization.

(c) Taking into account the provisions of art. 25, the Legal Committee at the request of the Assembly and ¹ The Council, or if it considers it useful in the interests of its own work, maintains close relations with other bodies to promote the aims of the Organization.

The Legal Committee shall submit to the Council:

(a)

Draft international conventions or draft amendments to the international conventions it has drawn up;

(b)

The report on its work since the last session of the Council.

The Legal Committee meets at least once a year. It shall elect its Bureau once a year and adopt its rules of procedure.

Notwithstanding anything contrary to this Convention but subject to the provisions of Art. 32, the Legal Committee, when exercising the functions assigned to it under or under an international convention or any other instrument, shall comply with the relevant provisions of that Convention or instrument, In particular for the procedural rules to be followed.

The Marine Environment Protection Committee shall be composed of all Members.

The Committee on the Protection of the Marine Environment shall consider all matters within the competence of the Organization in the field of the prevention of pollution of the seas by ships and the control of such pollution, and more Especially:

(a)

Exercise the functions conferred or capable of being conferred on the Organization by or under international conventions to prevent and combat pollution by ships, in particular with regard to adoption and Amendment of rules or other provisions, in accordance with the provisions of those Conventions;

(b)

Consider measures to facilitate the implementation of the conventions referred to in par. (a) above;

(c)

Take the necessary steps to obtain scientific, technical and other practical data on the prevention of pollution of the seas by ships and on the fight against pollution to disseminate them to states, Developing countries, where appropriate, making recommendations and developing guidelines;

(d)

Promote, taking into account the provisions of s. 25, cooperation with regional bodies engaged in activities in the field of the prevention of pollution of the seas by ships and the fight against pollution;

(e)

To consider any other matters within the jurisdiction of the Organization that may promote the prevention of pollution of the seas by ships and the fight against pollution, including cooperation with other international organizations on Environmental issues; take appropriate action in this regard, taking into account the provisions of s. 25.

The Marine Environmental Protection Committee shall submit to the Council:

(a)

The proposals for regulations on the prevention of pollution of the seas by ships and the fight against pollution, as well as the proposed amendments to those regulations which the Committee has drawn up;

(b)

The recommendations and guidelines it has developed;

(c)

The report on its work since the last session of the Council.

The Marine Environmental Protection Committee meets at least once a year. It shall elect its Bureau once a year and adopt its rules of procedure.

Notwithstanding anything contrary to this Convention but subject to the provisions of Art. 37, the Committee on the Protection of the Marine Environment, when carrying out the functions assigned to it under or under an international convention or any other instrument, shall comply with the relevant provisions of this Relevant provisions of this Convention or instrument, in particular for the rules of procedure to be followed.

The Committee on Technical Cooperation shall be composed of all Members.

(a) The Committee on Technical Cooperation shall consider, as appropriate, all matters which fall within the competence of the Organization in respect of the implementation of technical cooperation projects financed by the relevant programme of United Nations of which the Organization is the executing or cooperative agent or by trust funds voluntarily made available to the Organization and any other matter relating to the activities of the Organization in the field of Technical cooperation.

(b) The Technical Cooperation Committee shall monitor the work of the Secretariat in the field of technical cooperation.

(c) The Committee on Technical Cooperation shall perform the functions assigned to it by this Convention, the Assembly or the Council, or missions which may be entrusted to it under this article under or under any other International instrument that can be accepted by the organization.

(d) Taking into account the provisions of Art. 25, the Committee on Technical Cooperation, at the request of the Assembly and the Council, or if it considers it useful in the interests of its own work, maintains close relations with other bodies to promote the aims of the Organization.

The Technical Cooperation Committee shall submit to the Council:

(a)

The recommendations it has developed;

(b)

The report on its work since the last session of the Board.

The Committee on Technical Cooperation shall meet at least once a year. It shall elect its Bureau once a year and adopt its rules of procedure.

Notwithstanding anything contrary to this Convention but subject to the provisions of Art. 42, the Committee on Technical Cooperation, when carrying out the functions assigned to it under or under an international convention or any other instrument, shall comply with the relevant provisions of that Convention or This instrument, in particular for the rules of procedure to be followed.

The Secretariat shall include the Secretary-General, as well as other staff members, whom the Organization may require. The Secretary-General shall be the highest official of the Organization and, subject to the provisions of art. 22, he appoints the personnel mentioned above.

The Secretariat is responsible for maintaining all records necessary to carry out the tasks of the Organization, and for preparing, centralizing and distributing notes, documents, agendas, minutes and information relevant to the work of the Organization. Of the Organization.

The Secretary-General shall prepare and submit to the Board the annual accounts and a biennial budget, showing separately the forecasts for each year.

The Secretary-General is responsible for keeping members informed of the work of the Organization. Any member may accredit one or more representatives to be held in connection with the Secretary-General.

In the performance of their duties, the Secretary-General and the staff shall not seek or accept instructions from any Government or from any authority outside the Organization. They shall refrain from any action incompatible with their position as international officials and shall be responsible only to the Organization. Each member of the organization undertakes to respect the exclusively international character of the functions of the Secretary-General and staff and not to seek to influence them in the performance of their duties.

The Secretary-General shall assume all other functions which may be assigned to him by the Convention, the Assembly or the Council.

Each member shall bear the salary, travel and other expenses of his or her delegation at meetings of the Organization.

The Council shall examine the accounts and estimates prepared by the Secretary-General and submit them to the Assembly together with its observations and recommendations.

(a) Subject to any agreement that may be concluded between the Organization and the United Nations, the Assembly shall consider and approve the budget estimates.

(b) The Assembly shall allocate the amount of expenditure among all members in accordance with a scale established by the Assembly, taking into account the proposals of the Council on this matter.

Any Member who fails to fulfil its financial obligations vis-à-vis the organisation within one year from the date of their due date shall not be entitled to vote in the Assembly, the Council or the Committee on Maritime Safety or the Committee The Committee on the Protection of the Marine Environment or the Committee on Technical Cooperation; however, the Assembly may, if it so wishes, derogate from those provisions.

If the Convention or an international agreement conferring powers on the Assembly, the Council, the Committee on Maritime Safety, the Legal Committee, the Committee on the Protection of the Marine Environment or the Committee on Technical Cooperation does not have Otherwise, voting in such bodies shall be governed by the following provisions:

(a)

Each Member shall have one vote.

(b)

Decisions shall be taken by a majority of the Members present and voting, and, where a two-thirds majority is required, by a two-thirds majority of the Members present.

(c)

For the purposes of this Convention, the expression "Members present and voting" means "Members present and expressing an affirmative or negative vote". Members who abstain are considered not to vote.

(a) The headquarters of the Organization shall be established in London.

(b) If necessary, the Assembly may, by a two-thirds majority, establish the headquarters of the Organization in another place.

(c) If the Council deems it necessary, the Assembly may meet in any place other than the seat.

In accordance with Art. 57 of the Charter ² , the Organization will be linked to the United Nations as a specialized agency in the field of marine navigation and its effects on the marine environment. The relationship is established by an agreement with the United Nations under Art. 63 of the Charter and according to the provisions of s. 25 of the Convention.

If there are issues of common interest to the Organization and a United Nations institution, the Organization will work with that institution; it will examine these issues and take action on them in concert with This institution.

For any matter within its competence, the Organization may collaborate with other intergovernmental organizations which, without being specialized agencies of the United Nations, have interests and activities related to the purposes of the Organization Continues.

The Organization may make all relevant arrangements to confer and collaborate with international non-governmental organizations on all matters within its competence.

Subject to approval by the Assembly, by a two-thirds majority of the votes, the Organization shall be authorized to take over from all other international organizations, governmental or non-governmental, the powers, resources and obligations of its Competence which would be transferred to it under international agreements or mutually satisfactory agreements concluded by the competent authorities of the organisations concerned. The Organization may also assume all the administrative functions of its jurisdiction, which have been entrusted to a Government under an international instrument.

The legal capacity, as well as the privileges and immunities that will be recognized in the Organization or granted as a result of its existence, are defined in the General Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies Approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 21 November 1947, and are governed by it. Reservation is made of the amendments which may be made by the final (or revised) text of the Annex approved by the Organization, in accordance with Sections 36 and 38 of the said General Convention.

Each member undertakes to apply the provisions of Annex II of this Convention, as long as it has not acceded to the said General Convention with regard to the Organization.

The texts of the draft amendments to the Convention shall be communicated to Members by the Secretary-General at least six months before they are submitted to the Assembly for consideration. Amendments shall be adopted by the Assembly by a two-thirds majority of the votes. Twelve months after its approval by two-thirds of the Members of the Organization, not including Associate Members, each amendment shall enter into force for all Members. If, within 60 days from the beginning of the twelve-month period, a Member gives notice of its withdrawal from the Organization by reason of an amendment, the withdrawal shall take effect, notwithstanding the provisions of Art. 58, on the date on which the amendment enters into force.

Any amendment adopted under the conditions laid down in Art. 66 shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall forthwith communicate the text to all members.

The declarations or acceptances provided for in Art. 66 shall be served by the communication of an instrument to the Secretary-General with a view to the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Secretary-General shall inform the members of the receipt of the said instrument and of the date on which the amendment enters into force.

Any dispute or question arising in respect of the interpretation or application of the Convention shall be submitted to the Assembly for settlement or settlement of any other way in which the parties to the dispute may agree. Nothing in this Article shall affect the right of any organ of the Organization to settle such a dispute or issue that would arise during the term of its term of office.

Any question of law that cannot be resolved by means specified in s. 69 shall be brought before the International Court of Justice by the Organization for advisory opinion in accordance with Art. 96 of the United Nations Charter ¹ .

Subject to the provisions of Part III, this Convention shall remain open for signature or acceptance and States may become parties to the Convention by:

(a)

The signature without reservation as to acceptance;

(b)

Signature, subject to acceptance, followed by acceptance; or

(c)

Acceptance.

Acceptance shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument in the hands of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

(a) Members may at any time declare that their participation in the Convention results in that of the whole, a group or only one of the territories for which they are responsible for international relations.

(b) This Convention shall not apply to territories whose members are responsible for international relations unless a declaration to that effect has been made on their behalf in accordance with the provisions of paragraph a of this article.

(c) Any declaration made in accordance with paragraph a of this article shall be communicated to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall send a copy to all States invited to the United Nations Maritime Conference and to Any other States that have become Members.

(d) In cases where, under a trusteeship agreement, the United Nations is the Authority for the administration of certain Territories, the United Nations may accept the Convention on behalf of one, several or more In accordance with the procedure set out in Art. 71.

(a) Members may withdraw from the Organization after written notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Secretary-General shall immediately notify the other members and the Secretary-General of the Organization. Notification of withdrawal may take place at any time after the expiry of a period of twelve months from the date of entry into force of the Convention. Withdrawal shall take effect twelve months after the date on which the written notification reaches the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

(b) The application of the Convention to the territories or groups of territories referred to in Art. 72 may be terminated at any time by written notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations by the member in charge of their external relations or by the United Nations, in the case of a Territory under the supervision of Administration is the responsibility of the United Nations. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall immediately notify all members and the Secretary-General of the Organization. The notification shall take effect twelve months after the date on which it reaches the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

This Convention shall enter into force when twenty-one nations, seven of which shall each have a global tonnage at least equal to one million gross tons, shall have acceded to it, in accordance with the provisions of Art. 71.

All States invited to the United Nations Maritime Conference and all other States that have become Members shall be informed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the date on which each State becomes a party to the Convention, as well as the date on which the Convention enters into force.

This Convention, of which the English, French and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall transmit certified copies thereof to each of the States invited to the United Nations Maritime Conference, as well as all other States that have become Members.

The United Nations is authorized to register the Convention as soon as it enters into force.

In witness whereof, The undersigned, duly authorized to that effect by their respective Governments, have signed the Convention.

Done at Geneva, March 6, 1948

(Suivent signatures)