The Cape Town Agreement is an international
IMO legal instrument that sets out minimum safety requirements for
fishing vessels
A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing.
The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was es ...
of 24 metres in length and over or equivalent in gross tons.
The Cape Town Agreement was established in 2012
but has not entered in force.
The treaty will enter info force when at least 22 states, with over 3,600 fishing vessels of 24m in length sign the treaty.
As of November 2022, there are 17 contracting States to the agreement.
These are Belgium, Congo, Cook Islands, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Kenya, The Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa and Spain.
The 17 member States represent approximately 1,925 eligible fishing vessels.
Content
The Cape Town Agreement defines minimum requirements on the design, construction and equipment of fishing vessels.
It also includes details for the inspection of fishing vessels, as well as mandatory requirements for
ship stability
Ship stability is an area of naval architecture and ship design that deals with how a ship behaves at sea, both in still water and in waves, whether intact or damaged. Stability calculations focus on centers of gravity, centers of buoyancy, the ...
,
seaworthiness
Seakeeping ability or seaworthiness is a measure of how well-suited a watercraft is to conditions when underway. A ship or boat which has good seakeeping ability is said to be very seaworthy and is able to operate effectively even in high sea stat ...
,
life-saving appliances, fire safety, ventilation and communication equipment.
The regulations are designed to protect the safety of fishing vessel crews and to establish a common standard for the industry.
The Agreement is designed to reduce the high number of deaths in the international fishing industry.
The Cape Town Agreement will updated, amend and replace the Torremolinos Protocol of 1993 and the Torremolinos International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels of 1977.
The Agreement allows a flag State to exempt any fishing vessels flying its flag from compliance, provided that a certain set of minimum criteria are applicable.
References
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Maritime safety
Treaties concluded in 2012
International Maritime Organization treaties