(1) The present Convention may be amended upon
the proposal of a Contracting Government by any of the procedures
specified in this Article.
(2) Amendment by unanimous acceptance:
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(a) Upon the request of a Contracting Government,
any amendment proposed by it to the present Convention shall be communicated
by the Organization to all Contracting Governments for consideration
with a view to unanimous acceptance.
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(b) Any such amendment shall enter into force
twelve months after the date of its acceptance by all Contracting
Governments unless an earlier date is agreed upon. A Contracting Government
which does not communicate its acceptance or rejection of the amendment
to the Organization within twenty-four months of its first communication
by the latter shall be deemed to have accepted the amendment.
(3) Amendment after consideration in the Organization:
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(a) Upon the request of a Contracting Government,
any amendment proposed by it to the present Convention will be considered
in the Organization. If adopted by a majority of two-thirds of those
present and voting in the Maritime Safety Committee of the Organization,
such amendment shall be communicated to all Members of the Organization
and all Contracting Governments at least six months prior to its consideration
by the Assembly of the Organization.
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(b) If adopted by a two-thirds majority of those
present and voting in the Assembly, the amendment shall be communicated
by the Organization to all Contracting Governments for their acceptance.
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(c) Such amendment shall come into force twelve
months after the date on which it is accepted by two-thirds of the
Contracting Governments. The amendment shall come into force with
respect to all Contracting Governments except those which, before
it comes into force, make a declaration that they do not accept the
amendment.
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(d) The Assembly, by a two-thirds majority of
those present and voting, including two-thirds of the Governments
represented on the Maritime Safety Committee and present and voting
in the Assembly, may propose a determination at the time of its adoption
that an amendment is of such an important nature that any Contracting
Government which makes a declaration under sub-paragraph (c) of this
paragraph and which does not accept the amendment within a period
of twelve months after it comes into force, shall cease to be a party
to the present Convention upon the expiry of that period. This determination
shall be subject to the prior acceptance of two-thirds of the Contracting
Governments.
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(e) Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent the
Contracting Government which first proposed action under this paragraph
on an amendment to the present Convention from taking at any time
such alternative action as it deems desirable in accordance with paragraphs
(2) or (4) of this Article.
(4) Amendment by a conference:
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(a) Upon the request of a Contracting Government,
concurred in by at least one-third of the Contracting Governments,
a conference of Governments will be convened by the Organization to
consider amendments to the present Convention.
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(b) Every amendment adopted by such a conference
by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting of the Contracting
Governments shall be communicated by the Organization to all Contracting
Governments for their acceptance.
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(c) Such amendment shall come into force twelve
months after the date on which it is accepted by two-thirds of the
Contracting Governments. The amendment shall come into force with
respect to all Contracting Governments except those which, before
it comes into force, make a declaration that they do not accept the
amendment.
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(d) By a two-thirds majority of those present
and voting, a conference convened under sub-paragraph (a) of this
paragraph may determine at the time of its adoption that an amendment
is of such an important nature that any Contracting Government which
makes a declaration under sub-paragraph (c) of this paragraph, and
which does not accept the amendment within a period of twelve months
after it comes into force, shall cease to be a party to the present
Convention upon the expiry of that period.
(5) The Organization shall inform all Contracting
Governments of any amendments which may come into force under this
Article, together with the date on which each such amendment will
come into force.
(6) Any acceptance or declaration under this Article
shall be made by the deposit of an instrument with the Organization
which shall notify all Contracting Governments of the receipt of the
acceptance or declaration.