Convention on the Territorial Sea & the Contiguous Zone

 

Article 20

1. The coastal State should not stop or divert a foreign ship passing
through the territorial sea for the purpose of exercising civil
jurisdiction in relation to a person on board the ship.

2. The coastal State may not levy execution against or arrest the ship for
the j purpose of any civil proceedings, save only in respect of obligations
or liabilities assumed or incurred by the ship itself in the course or for
the purpose of its voyage through the waters of the coastal State.

3. The provisions of the previous paragraph are without prejudice to the
right of the coastal State, in accordance with its laws, to levy execution
against or to arrest, for the purpose of any civil proceedings, a foreign
ship lying in the territorial sea, or passing through the territorial sea
after leaving internal waters.

SUB-SECTION C. RULES APPLICABLE TO GOVERNMENT SHIPS
OTHER THAN WARSHIPS

Article 21

The rules contained in sub-sections A and B shall also apply to government
ships operated for commercial purposes.

Article 22

1. The rules contained in sub-section A and in article 18 shall apply to
government ships operated for non-commercial purposes.

2. With such exceptions as are contained in the provisions referred to in
the preceding paragraph, nothing in these articles affects the immunities
which such ships enjoy under these articles or other rules of international
law.

SUB-SECTION D. RULE APPLICABLE TO WARSHIPS

Article 23

If any warship does not comply with the regulations of the coastal State
concerning passage through the territorial sea and disregards any request
for compliance which is made to it, the coastal State may require the
warship to leave the territorial sea.

PART II

CONTIGUOUS ZONE

Article 24

1. In a zone of the High Seas contiguous to its territorial sea, the
coastal State may exercise the control necessary to:

(a) Prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary
regulations within its territory or territorial sea;
(b) Punish infringement of the above regulations committed within its
territory or territorial sea.

2. The contiguous zone may not extend beyond twelve miles from the baseline
from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.

3. Where the coasts of two States are opposite or adjacent to each other,
neither of the two States is entitled, failing agreement between them to
the contrary, to extend its contiguous zone beyond the median line every
point of which is equidistant from the nearest points on the baselines from
which the breadth of the territorial seas of the two States is measured.

PART III

FINAL ARTICLES

Article 25

The provisions of this Convention shall not affect conventions or other
international agreements already in force, as between States Parties to
them.

Article 26

This Convention shall, until 31 October 1958, be open for signature by all
States Members of the United Nations or of any of the specialized agencies,
and by any other State invited by the General Assembly of the United
Nations to become a Party to the Convention.

Article 27

This Convention is subject to ratification. The instruments of ratification
shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Article 28

This Convention shall be open for accession by any States belonging to any
of the categories mentioned in article 26. The instruments of accession
shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Article 29

1. This Convention shall come into force on the thirtieth day following the
date of deposit of the twenty-second instrument of ratification or
accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

2. For each State ratifying or acceding to the Convention after the deposit
of the twenty-second instrument of ratification or accession, the
Convention shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after deposit by
such State of its instrument of ratification or accession.

Article 30

1. After the expiration of a period of five years from the date on which
this Convention shall enter into force, a request for the revision of this
Convention may be made at any time by any Contracting Party by means of a
notification in writing addressed to the Secretary-General of the United
Nations.

2. The General Assembly of the United Nations shall decide upon the steps,
if any, to be taken in respect of such request.

Article 31

The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States Members
of the United Nations and the other States referred to in article 26:

(a) Of signatures to this Convention and of the deposit of instruments of
ratification or accession, in accordance with articles 26, 27 and 28;
(b) Of the date on which this Convention will come into force, in
accordance with article 29:
(c) Of requests for revision in accordance with article 30.

Article 32

The original of this Convention, of which the Chinese, English, French,
Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited with
the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall send certified
copies thereof to all States referred to in article 26.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned Plenipotentiaries, being duly authorized
thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Convention.

DONE at Geneva, this twenty-ninth day of April one thousand nine hundred
and fifty-eight.

Author: international

Mentioned in these Entries

Convention on the Territorial Sea & the Contiguous Zone, High Seas.