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 and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals (e.g. shrimps/prawns, krills, coleoids, etc.) in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial, arti ...
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 June 2025, there are 23 contracting States to the agreement.
These are Belgium, Belize, Congo, Cook Islands, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Kenya, Namibia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa and Spain.
The 23 member States represent approximately 2935 eligible fishing vessels, with 665 more required to reach the 3,600 declared 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 center of mass#center of gravity, centers of ...
,
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 sta ...
,
life-saving appliances
Life-saving appliances are those appliances that protect human life at sea. The devices are documented as part of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, or SOLAS Convention.
Types
In the SOLAS Convention and other maritim ...
, 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