FINAL ACT OF THE INTERNATlONAL CONFERENCE
ON REVlSlON OF THE INTERNATlONAL REGULATlONS
FOR PREVENTING COLLlSlONS AT SEA, 1972

1. Upon the invitation of the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization a Conference was held in London from 4 October to 20 October 1972 for the purpose of revising the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1960.

2. The Governments of the following States were represented by delegations at the Conference:

3. The Governments of the following States were represented at the Conference by observers:

The Government of Hong Kong also sent an observer.

4. The following inter-governmental organizations sent representatives to the Conference :

United Nations
Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

5. The following non-governmental organizations were represented at the Conference by observers:

International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA)
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
International Chamber of Shipping (ICS)
International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA)
Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF)
Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses (PIANC)

6. The Conference elected Captain K.J.N. Wie, Head of the delegation of Norway, as President of the Conference.

7. Captain F.P. Sohnke (Federal Republic of Germany), Captain A.J. Nikolov (Bulgaria), Rear-Admiral J.A Alvarez (Argentina), Captain H.S. Atmadja (Indonesia) and Captain W. Valkenier (Liberia) were elected as Vice Presidents of the Conference.

8. The Secretary-General of the Conference was Mr. Colin Goad (Secretary-General of the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization) and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference was Mr J. Queguiner (Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization). The Executive Secretary of the Conference was Captain A. Saveliev (Secretary of the Maritime Safety Committee of the Organization) and the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Conference was Captain Z.N Sdougos (Head of the Marine Safety Division of the Organization).

9. The Conference established five Committees for the accomplishment of its work:

Committee I

Chairman: Captain G W.R. Graves (Canada)
Vice-Chairmen: Captain F. Pelerin (France)
Mr. H. Sagara (Japan)

Committee II

Chairman: Captain B.N. Repkin (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
Vice-Chairmen: Lieutenant-Commander E. Mitropoulos (Greece)
Captain M.W. Patel (India)

Steering Committee

Chairman: Captain K.J.N Wie (Norway) President of the Conference

Credentials Committee

Chairman: Baron de Gerlache de Gomery (Belgium)

Drafting Committee

Chairman: Captain E.O. Jones (United Kingdom)

10. The Conference had as the basis for its discussions the following documentation :

- The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1960;

- A draft Agreement together with draft Regulations and Annexes which had been prepared in the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization and communicated to Governments prior to the opening of the Conference;

- Proposals and comments, including amendments to the documents mentioned above, submitted to the Conference by interested Governments and organizations.

11. As a result of its deliberations, as contained in the records of the plenary sessions and in the records and reports of the respective Committees, the Conference adopted and opened for signature and accession:

THE CONVENTION ON THE INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS
FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA, 1972

to which are attached the Rules and other Annexes which constitute the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972.

The Convention and the Regulations constitute attachment 1 to this Final Act.

12. The Conference also adopted resolutions on the following subjects:

- participation at the Assembly of the Organization with the right to vote by all Contracting Parties whenever amendments to the Regulations are under consideration (resolution I)

- early deposit of instruments of ratification, approval, acceptance or accession (resolution II) the texts of which are appended to this Final Act as attachments 2 and 3.

13. The text of this Final Act, being a single original in the English, French, Russian and Spanish languages, together with the texts of the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, the Regulations attached thereto and the resolutions of the Conference, which are in English and French, shall be deposited with the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization. Official translations of the attached Convention, Regulations and resolutions shall be prepared in the Russian and Spanish languages and shall be deposited together with this Final Act.

14. The Secretary-General of the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization shall send a certified copy of this Final Act and, when they have been prepared, certified copies of the official translations of the Convention, the Regulations and resolutions, to each of the Governments invited to send representatives to this Conference.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned* have affixed their signatures to this Final Act.

DONE AT LONDON this twentieth day of October, one thousand nine hundred and seventy-two.

* Signatures omitted.