CYPRUS Law and Practice Contributed by: Kyriacos Scordis and Sofi Mylona, SCORDIS PAPAPETROU & Co LLC
2.2 International Conventions: Collision and Salvage For collision cases, the International Conven - tion for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law with respect to Collisions between Vessels and Protocol of Signature (Brussels, 23 September 1910) was extended to Cyprus on 1 Febru - ary 1913 when it was still a British colony, and still remains in force today. Also, the Maritime Convention Act of 1911, derived from UK law, applies to Cyprus by virtue of Articles 19(a) and 29(2)(a) of the Cyprus Courts of Justice Law of 1960, as amended. The following have also been ratified by Cyprus: • the International Convention for the Unifica - tion of Certain Rules Concerning Civil Juris - diction in Matters of Collision of 1952 (Law No 31(III)/1993); • the International Convention for the Unifi - cation of Certain Rules Relating to Penal Jurisdiction in Matters of Collision or other Incidents of Navigation 1952 (Law No 32(III)/1993); and • the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGs) (Law No 18/1980), as amended. The legislation in relation to salvage is: • the Convention for the Unification of Cer - tain Rules of Law relating to Assistance and Salvage at Sea and Protocol of Signature (Brussels, 23 September 1910) (extended to Cyprus on 1 February 1913); and • Part III of the Wrecks Law, Chapter 298. 2.3 1976 Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims The Convention on Limitation of Liability for Mar - itime Claims of 1976 (the “LLMC Convention”)
Transboundary Movements of Hazard - ous Wastes and Their Disposal 1989 (the “Basel Convention”); (h) the International Convention on Civil Li - ability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage 2001 (BUNKER); and (i) the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Con - nection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious substances by Sea 1996 (HNS) (Law No 21(III)/2004). • EU law: (a) the Waste Directive 1975/442/EEC; (b) Directive 2004/35/CE on environmental liability regarding the prevention and rem - edying of environmental damage; (c) Regulation (EU) No 1257/2013 on ship recycling; and (d) Directive (EU) 2016/802, relating to a reduction in the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels. Regarding wreck removal, the Nairobi Interna - tional Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007 (Law No 12 (III)/2015) entered into force in Cyprus on 22 October 2015 and requires ships – both Cyprus-flagged and those calling at Cyprus ports – to attest that their insurance will cover any expenses incurred in the removal of a ship that becomes a wreck, or in the removal of a ship that poses a threat to the environment. The Wrecks Law Cap 298 regulates wrecks in Cyprus. Regarding both wreck removal and pollution, Cyprus is a signatory and a state party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS).
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