Article 3 - Application
Clasification Society 2024 - Version 9.40
Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - International Conventions - MARPOL - International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships - Articles of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 - Article 3 - Application

Article 3 - Application

  (1) The present Convention shall apply to:

  • (a) ships entitled to fly the flag of a Party to the Convention; and

  • (b) ships not entitled to fly the flag of a Party but which operate under the authority of a Party.

  (2) Nothing in the present article shall be construed as derogating from or extending the sovereign rights of the Parties under international law over the sea-bed and subsoil thereof adjacent to their coasts for the purposes of exploration and exploitation of their natural resources.

  (3) The present Convention shall not apply to any warship, naval auxiliary or other ship owned or operated by a State and used, for the time being, only on government non-commercial service. However, each Party shall ensure by the adoption of appropriate measures not impairing the operations or operational capabilities of such ships owned or operated by it, that such ships act in a manner consistent, so far as is reasonable and practicable, with the present Convention.


Copyright 2022 Clasifications Register Group Limited, International Maritime Organization, International Labour Organization or Maritime and Coastguard Agency. All rights reserved. Clasifications Register Group Limited, its affiliates and subsidiaries and their respective officers, employees or agents are, individually and collectively, referred to in this clause as 'Clasifications Register'. Clasifications Register assumes no responsibility and shall not be liable to any person for any loss, damage or expense caused by reliance on the information or advice in this document or howsoever provided, unless that person has signed a contract with the relevant Clasifications Register entity for the provision of this information or advice and in that case any responsibility or liability is exclusively on the terms and conditions set out in that contract.