CHAPTER XI

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS

D

Water Transport1Convention relating to the limitation of the liability of owners of inland navigation vessels (CLN)Geneva, 1 March 1973Not yet in forcesee article 12 which reads as follows: "1. This Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after three of the States referred to in article 11, paragraph 1 (i.e. members of the ECE and States admitted to the Commission in a consultative capacity under paragraph 8 of the Commission's Terms of Reference), have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession. 2. For any State ratifying or acceding to it after three States have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession, this Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after the said State has deposited its instrument of ratification or accession.".StatusSignatories2Parties1TextDoc. ECE/TRANS/3.The Convention was drawn up within the framework of the Inland Transport Committee of the Economic Commission for Europe and opened for signature at Geneva from 1 March 1973 to 1 March 1974.

ParticipantSignatureAccession(a), RatificationGermany<superscript>1</superscript> 1 Mar 1974 Russian Federation19 Feb 1981 aSwitzerland 1 Mar 1974 Germany<superscript>1</superscript><i>Upon signature: </i>1. In the event of an occurrence in its territory, the Federal Republic of Germany will not apply the provisions of the Convention to cost and compensation due under article 4, paragraph 1 (e), for damage caused by water pollution (article 10, para. 1 (b)).2. The Federal Republic of Germany will not apply the provision of article 4, paragraph 2 (a), of the Convention with respect to passengers carried on journeys for which the place of embarkation on board the vessel and the place of disembarkation therefrom are situated either both in its territory or in the territory of a State which has likewise made use of this reservation. In this case the Federal Republic of Germany will provide for the limitation fund established according to article 5, paragraph 1 (a), an amount higher than that foreseen by the Convention (article 10, para. 1 (c)).Russian FederationReservation:In accordance with article 18 (1) of the Convention relating to the Limitation of the Liability of Owners of Inland Navigation Vessels of 1973, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics does not consider itself bound by the provisions of article 17 of this Convention, to the effect that any dispute between two or more of the Contracting Parties which relates to the interpretation or application of this Convention and which the Parties are unable to settle by negotiation or other settlement procedures may, at the request of either of the Contracting Parties concerned, be referred for settlement to the International Court of Justice, and declares that such disputes may be referred to the International Court of Justice only with the consent of all the parties to the dispute in each individual case.Declarations:In accordance with article 10 (1) (a) of the Convention relating to the Limitation of the Liability of Owners of Inland Navigation Vessels of 1973, 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.[The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics] to the United Nations notes that article 16 of this Convention, which provides for the possibility of its application by States Parties to the Convention to territories for whose external relations they are responsible, conflicts with the United Nations Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples of 14 December 1960.1See note 2 under “Germany” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.