Panama, Cyprus Sign Up to Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention

Panama and Cyprus have become contracting states to the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks.

Ambassador Arsenio Dominguez, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Panama to IMO, met IMO Secretary-General Sekimizu last week to deposit the instrument of accession to the Convention.

In addition, the Republic of Cyprus has ratified the 2007 Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks earlier this month.

The Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks will enter into force for the Republic of Cyprus on 22 October 2015.

The Convention, which entered into force in April this year, places strict liability on owners for locating, marking and removing wrecks deemed to be a hazard and makes State certification of insurance, or other form of financial security for such liability, compulsory for ships of 300 gross tonnage and above.

The 25 contracting states now represent 58.08% of world merchant shipping tonnage.