Overeenkomst inzake samenwerking bij de bestrijding van verontreiniging van de Noordzee door olie en andere schadelijke stoffen

This Agreement shall apply:
a) whenever the presence or the prospective presence of oil or other harmful substances polluting or threatening to pollute the sea within the North Sea area, as defined in Article 2 of this Agreement, presents a grave and imminent danger to the coast or related interests of one or more Contracting Parties; and
b) to surveillance conducted in the North Sea area as an aid to detecting and combating such pollution and to preventing violations of anti-pollution regulations.

For the purpose of this Agreement, the Greater North Sea and its wider Approaches means the area of sea comprising:
a) the North Sea proper, southwards of latitude 63° 38' 10.68”N,
b) the Skagerrak, the southern limit of which is determined east of the Skaw by the latitude 57° 44' 43.00” N,
c) the English Channel and its approaches, bounded on the south and west by the line defined in Part I of the Annex to this Agreement;
d) the other waters, comprising the Irish Sea, the Celtic Sea, the Malin Sea, the Great Minch, the Little Minch, part of the Norwegian Sea, and parts of the North East Atlantic, bounded on the west and north by the line defined in Part II of the Annex to this Agreement.

1. The Contracting Parties consider that the matters referred to in Article 1 of this Agreement call for active co-operation between them.
2. The Contracting Parties shall jointly develop and establish guidelines for the practical, operational and technical aspects of joint action and co-ordinated surveillance as referred to in Article 6A.

Contracting Parties undertake to inform the other Contracting Parties about:
a) their national organisation for dealing with pollution of the kind referred to in Article 1 paragraph 1 of this Agreement, and for enforcing anti-pollution regulations;
b) the competent authorities responsible for receiving and dispatching reports of such pollution and for dealing with questions concerning measures of mutual assistance and co-ordinated surveillance between Contracting Parties;
c) their national means for avoiding or dealing with such pollution, which might be made available for international assistance;
d) new ways in which such pollution may be avoided and about new effective measures to deal with it;
e) major pollution incidents of this kind dealt with;
f) new developments in the technology of conducting surveillance;
g) their experience in the use of surveillance means and techniques in the detection of pollution and the prevention of violations of anti-pollution regulations, including use in co-operation with other Contracting Parties;
h) information of mutual interest derived from their surveillance activities;
i) their national programmes for surveillance, including co-operative arrangements with other Contracting Parties.

1. Whenever a Contracting Party is aware of a casualty or the presence of oil or other harmful substances in the North Sea area likely to constitute a serious threat to the coast or related interests of any other Contracting Party, it shall inform that Party without delay through its competent authority.
2. The Contracting Parties undertake to request the masters of all ships flying their flags and pilots of aircraft registered in their countries to report without delay through the channels which may be most practicable and adequate in the circumstances:
(a) all casualties causing or likely to cause pollution of the sea;
(b) the presence, nature and extent of oil or other harmful substances likely to constitute a serious threat to the coast or related interests of one or more Contracting Parties.
3. The Contracting Parties shall establish a standard form for the reporting of pollution as required under paragraph 1 of this Article.

1. For the sole purpose of this Agreement the North Sea area is divided into the zones described in the Annex to this Agreement.
2. The Contracting Party within whose zone a situation of the kind described in Article 1 of this Agreement occurs, shall make the necessary assessments of the nature and extent of any casualty or, as the case may be, of the type and approximate quantity of oil or other harmful substances and the direction and speed of movement thereof.
3. The Contracting Party concerned shall immediately inform all the other Contracting Parties through their competent authorities of its assessments and of any action which it has taken to deal with the oil or other harmful substances and shall keep these substances under observation as long as they are present in its zone.
4. The obligations of the Contracting Parties under the provisions of this Article with respect to the zones of joint responsibility shall be the subject of special technical arrangements to be concluded between the Parties concerned. These arrangements shall be communicated to the other Contracting Parties.

Surveillance shall be carried out, as appropriate, by the Contracting Parties in their zone of responsibility or zones of joint responsibility referred to in Article 6 of this Agreement. The Contracting Parties may bilaterally or multilaterally conclude agreements on or make arrangements for co-operation in the organisation of surveillance in the whole or part of the zones of the Parties concerned.

A Contracting Party requiring assistance to deal with pollution or the prospective presence of pollution at sea or on its coast may call on the help of the other Contracting Parties. Contracting Parties requesting assistance shall specify the kind of assistance they require. The Contracting Parties called upon for help in accordance with this Article shall use their best endeavours to bring such assistance as is within their power taking into account, particularly in the case of pollution by harmful substances other than oil, the technological means available to them.

1. The provisions of this Agreement shall not be interpreted as in any way prejudicing the rights and obligations of the Contracting Parties under international law, especially in the field of the prevention and combating of marine pollution.
2. In no case shall the division into zones referred to in Article 6 of this Agreement be invoked as a precedent or argument in any matter concerning sovereignty or jurisdiction.
3. The division into zones referred to in Article 6 of this Agreement shall in no way restrict the rights of Contracting Parties to carry out in accordance with international law surveillance activities beyond the limits of their zones.

1. In the absence of an Agreement concerning the financial arrangements governing actions of Contracting Parties to deal with pollution which might be concluded on a bilateral or multilateral basis or on the occasion of a joint combating operation, Contracting Parties shall bear the costs of their respective actions in dealing with pollution in accordance with subparagraph (a) or subparagraph (b) below:
a) If the action was taken by one Contracting Party at the express request of another Contracting Party, the Contracting Party requesting such assistance shall reimburse to the assisting Contracting Party the costs of its action;
b) If the action was taken by a Contracting Party on its own initiative, this Contracting Party shall bear the costs of its action.
2. The Contracting Party requesting assistance may cancel its request at any time, but in that case it shall bear the costs already incurred of committed by the assisting Contracting Party.
3. Unless otherwise specified in bilateral or multilateral agreements or arrangements, each Contracting Party shall bear the costs of its surveillance activities carried out in accordance with Article 6A.

Unless otherwise agreed the costs of action taken by a Contracting Party at the request of another Contracting Party shall be calculated according to the law and current practice in the assisting country concerning the reimbursement of such costs by a person or entity liable.

Article 9 of this Agreement shall not be interpreted as in any way prejudicing the rights of Contracting Parties to recover from third parties the costs of action to deal with pollution or the threat of pollution under other applicable provisions and rules of national and international law.

1. Meetings of the Contracting Parties shall be held at regular intervals and at any time when, due to special circumstances, it is so decided in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.
2. The Contracting Parties at their first meeting shall draw up Rules of Procedure and Financial Rules, which shall be adopted by unanimous vote.
3. The Depositary Government shall convene the first meeting of Contracting Parties as soon as possible after the entry into force of this Agreement.

Within the areas of its competence, the European Economic Community is entitled to a number of votes equal to the number of its Member States which are Contracting Parties to the present Agreement. The European Economic Community shall not exercise its right to vote in cases where its Member States exercise theirs and conversely.

It shall be the duty of meetings of the Contracting Parties:
(a) to exercise overall supervision over the implementation of this Agreement;
(b) to review the effectiveness of the measures taken under this Agreement;
(c) to carry out such other functions as may be necessary under the terms of this Agreement.

1. The Contracting Parties shall make provision for the performance of secretariat duties in relation to this Agreement, taking into account existing arrangements in the framework of other international agreements on the prevention of marine pollution in force for the same region as this Agreement.
2. Each Contracting Party shall contribute 2.5% towards the annual expenditure of the Agreement. The balance of the Agreement's expenditure shall be divided among Contracting Parties other than the European Economic Community in proportion to their gross national product in accordance with the scale of assessment adopted regularly by the United Nations General Assembly. In no case shall the contribution of a Contracting Party to this balance exceed 20% of the balance.

1. Without prejudice to Article 17 of this Agreement, a proposal by a Contracting Party for the amendment of this Agreement or its Annex shall be considered at a meeting of the Contracting Parties. Following adoption of the proposal by unanimous vote the amendment shall be communicated by the Depositary Government to the Contracting Parties.
2. Such an amendment shall enter into force on the first day of the second month following the date on which the Depositary Government has received notifications of approval from all Contracting Parties.

1. Two or more Contracting Parties may modify the common boundaries of their zones described in the Annex to this Agreement.
2. Such a modification shall enter into force for all Contracting Parties on the first day of the sixth month following the date of its communication by the Depositary Government unless, within a period of three months following that communication, a Contracting Party has expressed an objection or has requested consultation on the matter.

1. This Agreement shall be open for signature by the Governments of the States invited to participate in the Conference on the Agreement for Co-operation in Dealing with Pollution of the North Sea by Oil and Other Harmful Substances, held at Bonn on 13 September 1983, and by the European Economic Community.
2. These States and the European Economic Community may become Parties to this Agreement either by signature without reservation as to ratification, acceptance or approval or by signature subject to ratification, acceptance or approval followed by ratification, acceptance or approval.
3. Instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval shall be deposited with the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.

1. This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the second month following the date on which the Governments of all the States mentioned in Article 18 of this Agreement and the European Economic Community have signed the Agreement without reservation as to ratification, acceptance or approval or have deposited an instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval.
2. Upon the entry into force of this Agreement, the Agreement for Co-operation in dealing with Pollution of the North Sea by Oil, done at Bonn on 9 June 1969, shall cease to be in force.

1. The Contracting Parties may unanimously invite any other coastal State of the North East Atlantic area to accede to this Agreement.
2. In such a case Article 2 of this Agreement and its Annex shall be amended as necessary. The amendments shall be adopted by unanimous vote at a meeting of the Contracting Parties and shall take effect upon the entry into force of this Agreement for the acceding State.

1. For each State acceding to this Agreement, the Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the second month following the date of deposit by such State of its instrument of accession.
2. Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.

1. After this Agreement has been in force for five years it may be denounced by any Contracting Party.
2. Denunciation shall be effected by a notification in writing addressed to the Depositary Government which shall notify all the other Contracting Parties of any denunciation received and of the date of its receipt.
3. A denunciation shall take effect one year after its receipt by the Depositary Government.

The Depositary Government shall inform the Contracting Parties and those referred to in Article 18 of this Agreement of:
(a) any signature of this Agreement;
(b) the deposit of any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession and of the receipt of any notice of denunciation;
(c) the date of entry into force of this Agreement;
(d) the receipt of any notification of approval relating to amendments to this Agreement or its Annex and of the date of entry into force of such amendments.

The original of this Agreement, of which the English, French and German texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, which shall send certified copies thereof to the Contracting Parties and which shall transmit a certified copy to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for registration and publication in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.