Depositary
STATUS AS AT : 03-07-2025 03:15:32 EDT
CHAPTER XII
NAVIGATION
5 . Convention on the measurement of inland navigation vessels
Geneva, 15 February 1966
Entry into force
:
19 April 1975, in accordance with article 11.
Registration :
19 April 1975, No. 13899
Status :
Signatories : 7. Parties : 17
Text : Certified true copy
United Nations,  Treaty Series , vol. 964, p. 177.
Note :
The Convention was prepared by the Sub-Committee on Inland Water Transport of the Inland Transport Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and its subsidiary bodies (Working Party on River Law and Groups of Rapporteurs).  The Inland Transport Committee decided to open it for signature at its twenty-fifth session held from 17 to 20 January 1966 (see Report of the Inland Transport Committee on its twenty-fifth session, document E/ECE/TRANS/544, para. 63).
Participant 1, 2
Signature
 Accession(a), Succession(d), Ratification
Belarus
   30 Aug 2006 a
Belgium
  2 Nov 1966
 9 Mar 1972
Bulgaria
 14 Nov 1966
 4 Mar 1980
Czech Republic 3
   2 Jun 1993 d
France
 17 May 1966
 8 Jun 1970
Germany 4, 5
14 Nov 1966
19 Apr 1974
Hungary
    5 Jan 1978 a
Luxembourg
 29 Jul 1966
26 Mar 1982
Montenegro 6
  23 Oct 2006 d
Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 7
14 Nov 1966
14 Aug 1978
Poland
   22 Sep 2017 a
Republic of Moldova
   18 Jan 2000 a
Romania
   24 May 1976 a
Russian Federation
   19 Feb 1981 a
Serbia
   31 Jul 2002 d
Slovakia 3
  28 May 1993 d
Switzerland
 14 Nov 1966
 7 Feb 1975
Declarations and Reservations
(Unless otherwise indicated, the declarations and reservations were made
upon ratification, accession or succession.)
Notifications made under article 10 (5) (Distinctive letters of measurement offices)
Belarus 8

Reservation:

       Pursuant to article 15, paragraph 1, of the Convention, the Republic of Belarus will not apply article 14 of the Convention insofar as it concerns the referral of disputes to the International Court of Justice.
Belgium 9

Bulgaria 10

Upon signature and confirmed upon ratification:

       It further declares that the validity of measurement certifi- cates issued by its measurement offices for vessels intended for the carriage of goods may be extended only by one of the said offices.

Upon ratification:

       The term of validity of measurement certificates issued by its measurement offices for inland navigation vessels is 15 years and cannot be extended.
Czech Republic 3

France

Upon signature of the Protocol of Signature:

       Since the measurement signs affixed by the French services are not intended solely to establish the fact of measurement, the said signs shall not be either removed or effaced at the time of remeasurement; instead, an indelible mark consisting of a small cross with vertical and horizontal arms of equal length shall be applied to the left of such signs.
Hungary

       The Presidential Council of the Hungarian People's Republic declares that it does not consider itself bound by those provisions of article 14 of the Convention which refer the disputes between Contracting Parties to the International Court of Justice.
Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 11, 12

Poland

Reservation:

       Pursuant to article 15, paragraph 2, of the Convention, the Republic of Poland declares that the measurement certificates issued by the measurement offices of the Republic of Poland for vessels intended for the carriage of goods may not be extended.

Notification:

       In accordance with article 10, paragraph 5, of the Convention, the Republic of Poland declares that the distinguishing group of letters of the measurement offices is PL.
Romania

       The Socialist Republic of Romania declares, pursuant to article 15, paragraph 1, that it does not consider itself bound by the provisions of article 14 of the Convention. The position of the Socialist Republic of Romania is that disputes relating to the interpretation or application of the Convention may be referred to the International Court of Justice only with the consent of all the parties to the dispute, in each individual case.
Russian Federation

Reservation:

       In accordance with article 15, paragraph 1, of the Convention on the Measurement of Inland Navigation Vessels the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics does not consider itself bound by the provisions of article 14 of that Convention, to the effect that any dispute between two or more Contracting Parties concerning the interpretation or application of this Convention which the Parties are unable to settle by negotiation or by other settlement procedures may, at the request of any of the Contracting Parties concerned, be referred for settlement to the International Court of Justice, and declares that for the referral of such disputes to the International Court, the consent of all the parties to the dispute is necessary in each individual case;

Declaration:

       In accordance with article 10, paragraph 6, of the 1966 Convention on the Measurement of Inland Navigation Vessels, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics declares that the provisions of this Convention shall not apply to inland waterways of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that are open to navigation only for vessels flying the flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Slovakia 3

Notifications made under article 10 (5) (Distinctive letters of measurement offices)
Participant
 Distinctive letters:
Belarus 13
RR-BY
Belgium
 BR-B
Bulgaria 14
LB (Lom), RB(Rousse)
France
 F
Germany 5
D
Hungary
 HU
Luxembourg
 L
Moldova
 MD 498-85
Netherlands 11
[RN (Rotterdam)], [AN (Amsterdam)], [GN (Groningen)], HN(Rijswijk)
Poland
 PL
Romania
 RNR
Russian Federation
 RSSU
Serbia 15
JR-JU-XXXX
Switzerland
 BS-CH (Basel Stadt), BL-CH (Basel-Land), AG-CH (Aargau)
End Note
1The former Yugoslavia had acceeded to the Convention on 8 December 1969, selecting the letters JR-YU as distinctive letters of measurement offices under article 10 (5) of the Convention. See also note 1 under “Bosnia and Herzegovina", "Croatia", "former Yugoslavia", "Slovenia", "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and "Yugoslavia"  in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.
2The Convention and the Protocol of Signature were signed on behalf of each of the States mentioned on the same date, with the exception of Belgium, on behalf of which the Convention was signed on 2 November 1966 and the Protocol on 4 November 1966.
3Czechoslovakia had acceded to the Convention on 2 January 1974, with a declaration, and choosing "CS" as distinctive letters of measurement offices. Subsequently, on 22 January 1991, the Government of Czechoslovakia notified the Secretary-General of its decision to withdraw the declaration made upon accession. For the text the declaration, see United Nations,  Treaty Series , vol 964, p. 224. See also note 1 under “Czech Republic” and note 1 under “Slovakia” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
4See note 1 under “Germany” regarding Berlin (West) in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
5The German Democratic Republic had acceded to the Convention on 31 August 1976 choosing "DDR" as distinctive letters of measure- ment offices and with a reservation.  For the text of the reservation, see United Nations,  Treaty Series , vol. 1021, p. 474. See also note 2 under “Germany” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
6See note 1 under "Montenegro" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.
7For the Kingdom in Europe.
8On 9 April 2021, the Government of Belarus notified the Secretary-General of its withdrawal of the declaration under article 2 (1) made upon accession to the Convention. The text of the declaration that has been withdrawn reads as follows:

In accordance with article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention, the Republic of Belarus declares that the guideline document of the Republic of Belarus RD RB 02190.1.37-2003, entitled 'Measurement of vessels: calculation of displacement and tonnage', shall apply in the territory of the Republic of Belarus.
9On 26 April 2000, the Government of Belgium notified the Secretary-General that it had decided to withdraw its reservation made upon ratification of the Convention under article 15 (2). For the text of the reservation, see United Nations,  Treaty Series , vol. 964, p. 224.
10In a notification received on 6 May 1994, the Government of Bulgaria notified the Secretary-General that it had decided to withdraw the reservation made upon signature and confirmed upon ratification with respect to article 14. For the text of the reservation, see United Nations, Treaty Series , vol. 1161, p. 480.
11In a communication received on 31 May 1996, the Government of the Netherlands notified the Secretary-General that it had decided to withdraw its declaration made upon ratificaction. For the text of the declaration, see United Nations, Treaty Series , vol. 1102, p. 342.
12In a communication received on 19 May 1989, the Government of the Netherlands notified the Secretary-General of the following changes concerning the declarations made in respect of articles 2 (3) and 10 (5) of the said Convention:
"After an internal reorganisation of the Netherlands Measuring Office for Navigation Vessels on 1 January 1989, the competent office issuing measurement certificates for the application of art. 2 paragraph 3 and art. 10 paragraph 5 of the Convention, is the Measurement Office in Rijswijk, designated by the letters HN."
13In accordance with article 2, paragraph 3, of the Convention, the Republic of Belarus designates as the agency responsible for the issue of measurement certificates in the territory of the Republic of Belarus the national unitary enterprise Belarusian River Register Inspectorate, which shall be designated by the distinguishing group of letters ‘RR-BY’.



On 9 April 2021, the Government of Belarus notified the Secretary General "that the measurement office issuing measurement certificates in the territory of the Republic of Belarus for the application of article 2, paragraph 3, and article 10, paragraph 5, of the Convention, changed its name to the Republican Unitary Enterprise for Technical Supervision and Classification of Vessels ‘Belarusian Register Inspectorate’, designated by the same distinctive letters ‘RR-BY’.”
14Each of these two groups of distinctive letters to be followed by a figure indicating the serial number of the measurement certificate issued by the office concerned.
15"... The "XXXX" represents the measurement number issued by the Federal Public Institution, Yugoslav Register of Inland Vessels Navigation.  In accordance with Article 8(1) of the Convention, the competent Yugoslav central measuring service is the Federal Public Institution, Yugoslav Register of Inland Vessels Navigation, Narodnih heroja 30/II, 11000 Belgrade."