Treaty

International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969

Parties with reservations, declarations and objections

Party Reservations / Declarations Objections
Argentina Yes Yes
Bulgaria Yes No
Chile Yes No
China Yes No
Cuba Yes No
Czech Republic Yes No
Denmark Yes No
Egypt Yes No
France Yes No
Hungary Yes No
New Zealand Yes No
Romania Yes No
Russian Federation Yes No
Slovakia Yes No
Syria Yes Yes
United States of America Yes No

Argentina

11-08-1995

The Argentine Republic rejects the statement by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in connection with the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969, to the effect that the provisions of the Convention shall apply to the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands "with immediate effect". The Argentine Republic reaffirms its sovereignty over these islands and their surrounding maritime spaces, which constitute an integral part of its national territory.
The Argentine Republic recalls the adoption, by the General Assembly of the United Nations, of resolutions 2065(XX), 3160(XXVIII), 31/49, 37/9, 38/12, 39/6, 40/21, 42/19 and 43/25, acknowledging the existence of a dispute concerning sovereignty and urging the Governments of the Argentine Republic and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to enter into negotiations with a view to identifying means of pacific and final settlement of the outstanding problems between the two countries, including all matters concerning the future of the Malvinas Islands, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

Objection United Kingdom, 17-01-1996

The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have noted the declaration of the Government of Argentina regarding the extension by the United Kingdom of the application of the Convention to the Falkland Islands and to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
The British Government have no doubt about the sovereignty of the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands and over South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and their consequential right to defend the said Convention to these Territories. The British Government reject as unfounded the claims by the Government of Argentina.

Bulgaria

14-10-1982

(a) The People's Republic of Bulgaria declares that the provisions of article 16 of the Convention are in contradiction with the principle of sovereign equality of States and are not in line with the internationally adopted practice of concluding international treaties of universal significance;
(b) The People's Republic of Bulgaria declares that the provisions of article 20 of the Convention concerning its application by the States Parties on the territories of the international relations of which they are responsible, do not correspond to the Declaration of the United Nations General Assembly on Granting Independence to Colonial Countries and People's (resolution 1514(XV)) of December 14, 1960.

Chile

22-11-1982

(...) amendments referred to in article 18 of the Convention shall not be binding on Chile until such time as it has brought into operation the internal procedure established by the Political Constitution of the Republic for the approval of international treaties.

China

08-04-1980

[The Government of the People's Republic of China] wish to declare illegal and null and void the signing of the Convention by the Authorities in Taiwan in the name of China.

Cuba

09-11-1982

The Government of the Republic of Cuba considers that the provisions contained in article 2(3), article 3(1)(b) and article 20 of the Convention, to the extent that they accept that the international relations of any territory may be the responsibility of another Government, are not applicable in that respect because they are contrary to the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (resolution 1514 adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 14 December l960), which proclaims the necessity of bringing to a speedy and unconditional end colonialism in all its forms and manifestations.
The Government of the Republic of Cuba considers that article 16(1) of the Convention, despite the fact that its provisions deal with questions of interest for all States, is of a discriminatory nature in that it withholds from a number of States the right of signature and accession, which is contrary to the principle of universality.

Czech Republic

10-04-1974

Acceding to the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, the Government of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic wished to declare that article 16 of the Convention is at variance with the generally recognized principle of sovereign equality of States, and article 20 with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, adopted at the XVth session of the United Nations General Assembly on 14 December l960.

Denmark

22-06-1982

Even though the Convention has not yet entered into force for Denmark the Danish Government will apply the provisions of the Convention already as of July l8, 1982, insofar as regards both Danish ships and ships of States for which the Convention will enter into force on July 18, 1982 or at any date between the said date and the date of the formal entry into force of the Convention for Denmark.

Egypt

23-06-1969

The signing of this Convention does not prejudice in any way the full application of the Suez Tonnage Rules for the ships using the Suez Canal.

France

31-10-1980

(...) the French Government will not accept any invocation against it of a decision taken under the provisions of article 18(3)(d).

Hungary

23-05-1975

The Presidential Council of the Hungarian People's Republic declares that the terms contained in article 2, paragraph (3) and article 20 of the Convention concerning the extension of the validity of the Convention to territories for the international relations of which the Contracting Governments are responsible, are incompatible with the Declaration of the United Nations General Assembly of December 14, l960 on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

New Zealand

06-01-1978

Accession by New Zealand was declared not to extend to the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau.

Romania

21-05-1976

(a) The Socialist Republic of Romania considers that the provisions of article 16 of the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships are not in accord with the principle whereby multilateral international treaties, the purposes of which are of concern to the international community as a whole, should be open to universal participation.
(b) The Socialist Republic of Romania considers that the maintenance in a state of dependency of certain territories, to which the provisions of article 2(3) and article 20 of the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships refer, is inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations and with the texts adopted by the United Nations regarding the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples, including the Declaration relative to the principles of international law concerning friendly relations and co-operation between States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations unanimously adopted in l970 by the General Assembly of the United Nations by resolution 2625(XXV), which solemnly proclaims the duties of States to encourage the achievement of the principle of the equality of the rights of peoples and their right to self-determination with a view to bringing colonialism to a speedy end.

Russian Federation

20-11-1969

The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics states that paragraph (1) of article 16 of the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement, l969, under which Governments of a number of States are deprived of the opportunity to become Parties to this Convention, is of a discriminatory nature and believes that, in accordance with the principle of sovereign equality of States, the Convention should be open for participation to all the interested Parties without any discrimination or restrictions.
The Government of the Soviet Union considers it necessary to state also that the provisions of article 2 (paragraph (3)) and article 20 of the Convention on the extension by the Contracting Parties of its application to the territories, for whose international relations they are responsible are incompatible with the Declaration of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples (resolution 1514(XV) of 14 December l960).

Slovakia

10-04-1974

Acceding to the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, the Government of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic wished to declare that article 16 of the Convention is at variance with the generally recognized principle of sovereign equality of States, and article 20 with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, adopted at the XVth session of the United Nations General Assembly on 14 December l960.

Syria

06-02-1975

(...) this accession (...) to this Convention (...) in no way implies recognition of Israel and does not involve the establishment of any relations with Israel arising from the provisions of this Convention.

Objection Israel, 11-02-1976

This statement by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic is a political one and it is the view of the Government of Israel that the [International Maritime Organization] and its Conventions are not the proper place for making such pronouncements. These pronouncements are, moreover in flagrant contradiction to the principles, objects and purposes of the Convention in question.
The Government of Israel rejects the said statement as being devoid of any legal validity whatsoever and will proceed on the assumption that it cannot in any way affect the obligations incumbent on the Syrian Arab Republic under the above-mentioned Convention.
The Government of Israel will, in so far as concerns the substance of the matter, towards the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic an attitude of complete reciprocity.

United States of America

10-11-1982

That in the assessment of tolls for transit of the Panama Canal, the United States will continue to have the right to apply the present Panama Canal tonnage system or to adopt any other basis, in computing tonnages derived from volumes or other measures developed in connection with the said Convention.

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