INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA

LONDON, 1929

THE CONVENTION

FOR THE

SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA
SIGNED AT LONDON, MAY 31, 1929.

1. The International Conference assembled April 16, 1929. It included delegates representing eighteen countries. Unanimous agreement was reached, and was embodied in a Convention which was signed by all delegates present on the afternoon of May 31, 1929.

The Convention was prepared in English and in French. Both texts are authentic (p. 31, p. 26, p. 34, Art. 63).

This Convention replaces and abrogates the Convention for Safety of Life at Sea which was signed at London, January 20, 1914 (p. 30, p. 25, p. 33, Art. 60, par. 1).

All subjects which are not expressly provided for in this Convention remain subject to the legislation of the contracting Governments (p. 30, p. 25, p. 33, Art. 60, par. 3).

Prior Treaties and Conventions.

2. All other commitments relating to safety of life at sea, and the matters appertaining thereto, except the Convention of 1914, and in force between Governments parties to this Convention, shall continue to have full and complete effect as regards ships to which this Convention does not apply, also for subjects for which this Convention does not expressly provide; except to the extent, however, that where the provisions of such treaties, conventions, or arrangements conflict with the provisions of this Convention, the Convention shall prevail (p. 30, p. 25, p. 33, Art 60, par. 2).

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GOVERNMENTS AND TERRITORY TO WHICH THE CONVENTION APPLIES

Governments participating in the Conference.

3. The Convention was signed by delegates representing the following Governments:

4. A Contracting Government may by written declaration include, on two months' notice, any or all of its colonies, overseas territories, or protectorates or territories under suzerainty or mandate. It may withdraw any or all of such territory that has been under the Convention not less than five years, by a declaration in writing, giving one year notice (p. 31, p. 26, p. 34, Art. 62).

Accession by other Governments.

Other Governments may accede to this Convention, at any time after it has come into force, by giving written notification to the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to take effect three months after its receipt (p. 32, p. 27, p. 35, Art. 64).

MODIFICATIONS, DENUNCIATION, FUTURE

Modifications.

CONFERENCES

6. Modifications which may be deemed useful or necessary improvements may be proposed at any time, by any Contracting Government, to the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. When any such modifications are accepted by all of the Contracting Governments, including those which may have deposited ratifications or accessions not yet effective, the Convention shall be modified accordingly (p. 30, p. 26, p. 33, Art. 61).

Acceptance of Equivalents.

7. Any administration may accept an equivalent substitute for a particular fitting, appliance or apparatus, or type thereof, or any particular arrangement required by the Convention, provided that such administration shall have been satisfied by suitable trials that the substitute is at least as effective as that specified in the Convention (p. 29, p. 24, p. 32, Art. 57).

Denunciation.

8. The Convention may be denounced by any Contracting Government at any time after it has been in force for that Government for five years. Denunciation shall be by notification in writing, addressed to the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and shall take effect twelve months after the date of its receipt by that Government (p. 32, p. 27, p. 35, Art. 66).

Future Conferences.

9. Conferences for the purpose of revising this Convention shall be held at such times and places as may be agreed upon by the Contracting Governments.

After the Convention has been in force for five years a conference shall be convoked whenever one-third of the Contracting Governments express that desire (p. 30, p. 26, p. 33, Art. 61, par. 2).

DATE WHEN CONVENTION BECOMES EFFECTIVE Coming in Force.

10. This Convention must be ratified (p. 31, p. 26, p. 34, Art. 63). It comes into force July 1st, 1931, as between Governments which have deposited ratifications by that date, provided that at least five ratifications have been deposited, otherwise three months after the date on which the fifth ratification is deposited. Ratifications deposited after the date on which the Convention has come into force shall take effect three months after the date of their deposit (p. 32, p. 27, p. 35, Art. 65).

OBLIGATIONS ASSUMED BY CONTRACTING
GOVERNMENTS

To Give Effect to the Convention.

11. The Contracting Governments undertake to give effect to the provisions of this Convention for the purpose of promoting safety of life at sea, as set forth in the articles of the Convention

and in the regulations contained in Annex I, the latter completing the Convention.

The Contracting Governments also undertake to promulgate all regulations and to take all other steps which may be necessary to give this Convention full and complete effect (p. 5, p. 6, p. 7, Art. 1).

Report of Equivalents Accepted.

12. Any administration which accepts a new fitting, appliance or apparatus, or type thereof, or new arrangement as the equivalent of that required by this Convention and as allowed by Article 57, shall communicate the fact to the other administrations, and, upon request, the particulars thereof, together with a report on the trials made (p. 29, p. 24, p. 32, Art. 57).

Laws, Decrees, Regulations, Reports.

13. The Contracting Governments undertake to communicate the text of laws, decrees and regulations which shall have been promulgated on the various matters within the scope of the present Convention. Also all available official reports, or official summaries of reports, in so far as they show the results of the provisions of the present Convention, provided always that such reports or summaries are not of a confidential nature.

The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is invited to serve as an intermediary for collecting all this information, and for bringing it to the knowledge of the other Contracting Governments (p. 29, p. 25, p. 32, Art. 58).

GENERAL DEFINITIONS

APPLICATION TO SHIPS AND VOYAGES

General Definitions.

14. The following governs in this Convention, unless expressly provided otherwise:

(a) A ship belongs to a country if registered at a port of that country.

(b) The expression "Administration" means the Government of the country in which the ship is registered.

(c) An international voyage is a voyage from a country to which this Convention applies to a port outside such country, or conversely, and for this purpose every colony, overseas territory,. protectorate, or territory under suzerainty or mandate is regarded as a separate country.

(d) A ship is a passenger ship if it carries more than 12 passengers.

(e) The expression "Regulations" means the Regulations contained in Annex I (p. 5, p. 6, p. 7, Art. 2, par. 3).

Ships and Voyages.

15. This Convention, unless expressly provided otherwise, does not apply to ships of war (p. 6, p. 6, p. 8, Art. 2, par. 4). No ship not subject to the Convention at time of departure on any voyage, shall become subject to it on account of any deviation from its intended voyage due to stress of weather or any other cause of force majeure. Persons on board by reason of force majeure, or the obligation to carry shipwrecked or other persons, shall not be taken into account in ascertaining the application of any provision of this Convention (p. 6, p. 6, p. 8, Art. 3).

The provisions of this Convention shall apply to ships, not excepted by the preceding paragraph, belonging to countries the Governments of which become Contracting Governments; that is, Governments that ratify or accede to the Convention; also to ships, not excepted, and belonging to a colony, overseas territory, protectorate, or territory under suzerainty or mandate of a Contracting Government, provided such Government has included the territory in its declaration, according to Article 62, and has not withdrawn the territory from the provisions of the Convention, after a period of application of not less than five years and one year notice (p. 5, p. 6, p. 7, Art. 2; p. 31, p. 26, p. 34, Art. 62).

The provisions of this Convention as regards Construction, and as regards Life-saving Appliances, apply to passenger ships, mechanically propelled, on international voyages. A distinction is made between "new ships" and "existing ships." The provisions as regards radiotelegraphy apply to all ships except ships of war and cargo ships of less than 1,600 tons gross tonnage. For the purpose of this requirement a "cargo ship" means any ship not being a passenger ship (p. 14, p. 13, p. 16, Art. 26). The provisions as to Safety of Navigation apply to all ships on all voyages (p. 20, p. 18, p. 23, Art. 33). The provisions as to issue of Safety Certificates, Safety Radiotelegraphy Certificates and Exemption Certificates apply to all ships to which the provisions of the Convention as regards Construction, Life-saving Appliances, and Radiotelegraphy apply (p. 26, p. 22, p. 29, Art. 49). The scope of the application is given in greater detail under each subject. The qualifications and certificates for radiotelegraph operators, "Safety Operators," on ships compulsorily fitted with radiotelegraph apparatus, are considered (p. 103, p.