(1) Ships when engaged on international voyages
between the near neighbouring ports of two or more States may be exempted
by the Administration from the provisions of the present Convention,
so long as they shall remain engaged on such voyages, if the Governments
of the States in which such ports are situated shall be satisfied
that the sheltered nature or conditions of such voyages between such
ports make it unreasonable or impracticable to apply the provisions
of the present Convention to ships engaged on such voyages.
(2) The Administration may exempt any ship which
embodies features of a novel kind from any of the provisions of this
Convention the application of which might seriously impede research
into the development of such features and their incorporation in ships
engaged on international voyages. Any such ship shall, however, comply
with safety requirements, which, in the opinion of that Administration,
are adequate for the service for which it is intended and are such
as to ensure the overall safety of the ship and which are acceptable
to the Governments of the States to be visited by the ship.
(3) The Administration which allows any exemption
under paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Article shall communicate to
the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (hereinafter
called the Organization) particulars of the same and reasons therefore
which the Organization shall circulate to the Contracting Governments
for their information.
(4) A ship which is not normally engaged on international
voyages but which, in exceptional circumstances, is required to undertake
a single international voyage may be exempted by the Administration
from any of the requirements of the present Convention, provided that
it complies with safety requirements which, in the opinion of that
Administration, are adequate for the voyage which is to be undertaken
by the ship.