PROTOCOL OF 1979 AMENDING THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION RELATING TOTHE LIMITATION OF THE LIABILITY OF OWNERS OF SEAGOING SHIPS，1957

　　THE CONTRACTING PARTIES TO THE PRESENT PROTOCOL，

　　BEING PARTIES to the International Convention relating to theLimitation of the Liability of Owners of Sea-going Ships， done at Brusselson October 10， 1957，

　　HAVE AGREED as follows：Article I

　　For the purpose of this Protocol， “Convention” means the InternationalConvention relating to the Limitation of the Liability of Owners ofSea-going Ships and its Protocol of signature， done at Brussels onOctober 10， 1957.Article II

　　1. Article 3， paragraph 1 of the Convention is replaced by thefollowing：

　　“1. The amounts to which the owner of a ship may limit hisliability under Article 1 shall be：

　　（a） where the occurrence has only given rise to propertyclaims an aggregate amount of 66.67 units of account for each ton of theship's tonnage；

　　（b） where the occurrence has only given rise to personalclaims an aggregate amount of 206.67 units of account for each ton of theship's tonnage；

　　（c） where the occurrence has given rise both to personalclaims and property claims an aggregate amount of 206.67 units of accountfor each ton of the ship's tonnage， of which a first portion amounting to140 units of account for each ton of the ship's tonnage shall beexclusively appropriated to the payment of personal claims and of which asecond portion amounting to 66.67 units of account for each ton of theship's tonnage shall be appropriated to the payment of property claims.Provided however that in cases where the first portion is insufficient topay the personal claims in full， the unpaid balance of such claims shallrank rateably with the property claims for payment against the secondportion of the fund.“

　　2. Article 3. paragraph 6 of the Convention is replaced by thefollowing：

　　“6. The unit of account mentioned in paragraph 1 of this Articleis the Special Drawing Right as defined by the International MonetaryFund. The amounts mentioned in that paragraph shall be converted into thenational currency of the State in which limitation is sought on the basisof the value of that currency on the date on which the shipowner shallhave constituted the limitation fund， made the payment or given aguarantee which under the law of that State is equivalent to such payment.The value of the national currency， in terms of the Special DrawingRights， of a State which is a member of the International Monetary Fund，shall be calculated in accordance with the method of valuation applied bythe International Monetary Fund in effect at the date in question for itsoperations and transactions. The value of the national currency， in termsof the Special Drawing Right， of a State which is not a member of theInternational Monetary Fund， shall be calculated in a manner determined bythat State. Monetary Fund， shall be calculated in a manner determined bythat State.

　　“7. Nevertheless， a State which is not a member of theInternational Monetary Fund and whose law does not permit the applicationof the provisions of the paragraph 6 of this Article may， at the time ofratification of the Protocol of 1979 or accession thereto or at any timethereafter， declare that the limits of liability provided for in thisConvention to be applied in its territory shall be fixed as follows：

　　（a） in respect of paragraph 1， （a） of this Article， 1000monetary units；

　　（b） in respect of paragraph 1， （b） of this Article， 3100monetary units；

　　（c） in respect of paragraph 1， （c） of this Article， 3100， 2100and 1000 monetary units， respectively.

　　The monetary unit referred to in this paragraph corresponds to 65.5milligrams of gold of millesimal fineness 900. The conversion of theamounts specified in this paragraph into the national currency shall bemade according to the law of the State concerned.

　　“8. The calculation mentioned in the last sentence of paragraph 6of this Article and the conversion mentioned in paragraph 7 of thisArticle shall be made in such a manner as to express in the nationalcurrency of the State as far as possible the same real value for theamounts in paragraph 1 of this Article as is expressed there in units ofaccount. States shall communicate to the depositary the manner ofcalculation pursuant to paragraph 6 of this Article or the result of theconversion in paragraph 7 of this Article， as the case may be， whendepositing an instrument of ratification of the Protocol of 1979 or ofaccession thereto or when availing themselves of the option provided forin paragraph 7 of this Article and whenever there is a change in either.”

　　3. Article 3， paragraph 7 of the Convention shall be renumberedArticle 3， paragraph 9.Article III

　　This Protocol shall be open for signature by the States which havesigned the Convention or which are Parties thereto.Article IV

　　1. This Protocol shall be ratified.

　　2. Ratification of this Protocol by any State which is not a Party tothe Convention shall have the effect of ratification of the Convention.

　　3. The instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the BelgianGovernment.Article V

　　1. States not referred to in Article III may accede to this Protocol.

　　2. Accession to this Protocol shall have the effect of accession tothe Convention.

　　3. The instruments of accession shall be deposited with the BelgianGovernment.Article VI

　　1. This Protocol shall come into force three months after the date ofthe deposit of six instruments of ratification or accession.

　　2. For each State which ratifies this Protocol or accedes theretoafter the sixth deposit， this Protocol shall come into force three monthsafter the deposit of its instrument of ratification or accession.Article VII

　　1. Any Contracting Party may denounce this Protocol by notification tothe Belgian Government.

　　2. The denunciation shall take effect one year after the date on whichthe notification has been received by the Belgian Government.Article VIII

　　1. Each State may at the time of signature， ratification or accessionor at any time thereafter declare by written notification to the BelgianGovernment which among the territories for whose international relationsit is responsible， are those to which the present Protocol applies. TheProtocol shall three months after the date of the receipt of suchnotification by the Belgian Government extend to the territories namedtherein， but not before the date of the coming into force of the Protocolin respect of such State.

　　2. This extension also shall apply to the Convention if the latter isnot yet applicable to these territories.

　　3. Any Contracting Party which has made a declaration under paragraph（1） of this Article may at any time thereafter declare by notificationgiven to the Belgian Government that the Protocol shall cease to extend tosuch territories. This denunciation shall take effect one year after thedate on which notification thereof has been received by the BelgianGovernment.Article IX

　　The Belgian Government shall notify the signatory and acceding Statesof the following：

　　1. the signature， ratifications and accessions received in accordancewith Article III， IV and V.

　　2. the date on which the present Protocol will come into force inaccordance with Article VI.

　　3. the notifications with regard to the territorial application inaccordance with Article VIII.

　　4. the declarations and communications made in accordance with ArticleII.

　　5. the denunciations received in accordance with Article VII.