1.   The Parties shall cooperate:

2.   In cooperating, the Parties should take into account as appropriate the participation of local authorities, non-governmental organisations and socioeconomic actors.

3.   Each Party shall apply this Protocol without prejudice to the sovereignty or the jurisdiction of other Parties or other States. Any measures taken by a Party to apply this Protocol shall be in accordance with international law.

1.   The Parties shall endeavour to maintain and promote, either individually or through bilateral or multilateral cooperation, contingency plans and other means of preventing and combating pollution incidents. These means shall include, in particular, equipment, ships, aircraft and personnel prepared for operations in cases of emergency, the enactment, as appropriate, of relevant legislation, the development or strengthening of the capability to respond to a pollution incident and the designation of a national authority or authorities responsible for the implementation of this Protocol.

2.   The Parties shall also take measures in conformity with international law to prevent the pollution of the Mediterranean Sea Area from ships in order to ensure the effective implementation in that Area of the relevant international conventions in their capacity as flag State, port State and coastal State, and their applicable legislation. They shall develop their national capacity as regards the implementation of those international conventions and may cooperate for their effective implementation through bilateral or multilateral agreements.

3.   The Parties shall inform the Regional Centre every two years of the measures taken for the implementation of this Article. The Regional Centre shall present a report to the Parties on the basis of the information received.

1.   Each Party undertakes to disseminate to the other Parties information concerning:

2.   The Parties which have agreed to exchange information directly shall communicate such information to the Regional Centre. The latter shall communicate this information to the other Parties and, on a basis of reciprocity, to coastal States of the Mediterranean Sea Area which are not Parties to this Protocol.

3.   Parties concluding bilateral or multilateral agreements within the framework of this Protocol shall inform the Regional Centre of such agreements, which shall communicate them to the other Parties.

1.   Each Party shall issue instructions to masters or other persons having charge of ships flying its flag and to the pilots of aircraft registered in its territory to report by the most rapid and adequate channels in the circumstances, following reporting procedures to the extent required by, and in accordance with, the applicable provisions of the relevant international agreements, to the nearest coastal State and to this Party:

2.   Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 20 of the Protocol, each Party shall take appropriate measures with a view to ensuring that the master of every ship sailing in its territorial waters complies with the obligations under (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 and may request assistance from the Regional Centre in this respect. It shall inform the International Maritime Organization of the measures taken.

3.   Each Party shall also issue instructions to persons having charge of sea ports or handling facilities under its jurisdiction to report to it, in accordance with applicable laws, all incidents which result or may result in a discharge of oil or hazardous and noxious substances.

4.   In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution Resulting from Exploration and Exploitation of the Continental Shelf and the Seabed and its Subsoil, each Party shall issue instructions to persons having charge of offshore units under its jurisdiction to report to it by the most rapid and adequate channels in the circumstances, following reporting procedures it has prescribed, all incidents which result or may result in a discharge of oil or hazardous and noxious substances.

5.   In paragraphs 1, 3 and 4 of this Article, the term ‘incident’, means an incident meeting the conditions described therein, whether or not it is a pollution incident.

6.   The information collected in accordance with paragraphs 1, 3 and 4 shall be communicated to the Regional Centre in the case of a pollution incident.

7.   The information collected in accordance with paragraphs 1, 3 and 4 shall be immediately communicated to the other Parties likely to be affected by a pollution incident:

In case of direct communication between Parties, these shall inform the Regional Centre of the measures taken, and the Centre shall communicate them to the other Parties.

8.   The Parties shall use a mutually agreed standard form proposed by the Regional Centre for the reporting of pollution incidents as required under paragraphs 6 and 7 of this Article.

9.   In consequence of the application of the provisions of paragraph 7, the Parties are not bound by the obligation laid down in Article 9(2) of the Convention.

1.   Any Party faced with a pollution incident shall:

2.   Where action is taken to combat pollution originating from a ship, all possible measures shall be taken to safeguard:

Any Party which takes such action shall inform the International Maritime Organization either directly or through the Regional Centre.

1.   Each Party shall take the necessary steps to ensure that ships flying its flag have on board a pollution emergency plan as required by, and in accordance with, the relevant international regulations.

2.   Each Party shall require masters of ships flying its flag, in case of a pollution incident, to follow the procedures described in the shipboard emergency plan and in particular to provide the proper authorities, at their request, with such detailed information about the ship and its cargo as is relevant to actions taken in pursuance of Article 9, and to cooperate with these authorities.

3.   Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 20 of the Protocol, each Party shall take appropriate measures with a view to ensuring that the master of every ship sailing in its territorial waters complies with the obligation under paragraph 2 and may request assistance from the Regional Centre in this respect. It shall inform the International Maritime Organization of the measures taken.

4.   Each Party shall require that authorities or operators in charge of sea ports and handling facilities under its jurisdiction as it deems appropriate have pollution emergency plans or similar arrangements that are coordinated with the national system established in accordance with Article 4 and approved in accordance with procedures established by the competent national authority.

5.   Each Party shall require operators in charge of offshore installations under its jurisdiction to have a contingency plan to combat any pollution incident, which is coordinated with the national system established in accordance with Article 4 and in accordance with the procedures established by the competent national authority.

1.   Any Party requiring assistance to deal with a pollution incident may call for assistance from other Parties, either directly or through the Regional Centre, starting with the Parties which appear likely to be affected by the pollution. This assistance may comprise, in particular, expert advice and the supply to or placing at the disposal of the Party concerned of the required specialised personnel, products, equipment and nautical facilities. Parties so requested shall use their best endeavours to render this assistance.

2.   Where the Parties engaged in an operation to combat pollution cannot agree on the organisation of the operation, the Regional Centre may, with the approval of all the Parties involved, coordinate the activity of the facilities put into operation by these Parties.

3.   In accordance with applicable international agreements, each Party shall take the necessary legal and administrative measures to facilitate:

1.   Unless an agreement concerning the financial arrangements governing actions of Parties to deal with pollution incidents has been concluded on a bilateral or multilateral basis prior to the pollution incident, Parties shall bear the costs of their respective action in dealing with pollution in accordance with paragraph 2.

3.   Unless otherwise agreed, the costs of the action taken by a Party at the request of another Party shall be fairly calculated according to the law and current practice of the assisting Party concerning the reimbursement of such costs.

4.   The Party requesting assistance and the assisting Party shall, where appropriate, cooperate in concluding any action in response to a compensation claim. To that end, they shall give due consideration to existing legal regimes.

Where the action thus concluded does not permit full compensation for expenses incurred in the assistance operation, the Party requesting assistance may ask the assisting Party to waive reimbursement of the expenses exceeding the sums compensated or to reduce the costs which have been calculated in accordance with paragraph 3. It may also request a postponement of the reimbursement of such costs. In considering such a request, assisting Parties shall give due consideration to the needs of developing countries.

5.   The provisions of this Article shall not be interpreted as in any way prejudicing the rights of Parties to recover from third parties the costs of actions taken to deal with pollution incidents under other applicable provisions and rules of national and international law applicable to one or to the other Party involved in the assistance.

1.   The Parties shall individually, bilaterally or multilaterally take all necessary steps to ensure that reception facilities meeting the needs of ships are available in their ports and terminals. They shall ensure that these facilities are used efficiently without causing undue delay to ships.

The Parties are invited to explore ways and means to charge reasonable costs for the use of these facilities.

2.   The Parties shall also ensure the provision of adequate reception facilities for pleasure craft.

3.   The Parties shall take all the necessary steps to ensure that reception facilities operate efficiently to limit any impact of their discharges to the marine environment.

4.   The Parties shall take the necessary steps to provide ships using their ports with updated information relevant to the obligations arising from MARPOL 73/78 and from their legislation applicable in this field.

1.   Ordinary meetings of the Parties to this Protocol shall be held in conjunction with ordinary meetings of the Contracting Parties to the Convention, held pursuant to Article 18 of the Convention. The Parties to this Protocol may also hold extraordinary meetings as provided in Article 18 of the Convention.

2.   It shall be the function of the meetings of the Parties to this Protocol, in particular:

1.   The provisions of the Convention relating to any protocol shall apply with respect to the present Protocol.

2.   The rules of procedure and the financial rules adopted pursuant to Article 24 of the Convention shall apply with respect to this Protocol, unless the Parties agree otherwise.

1.   This Protocol shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the deposit of the sixth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

2.   From the date of its entry into force, this Protocol shall replace the Protocol concerning cooperation in combating pollution of the Mediterranean Sea by oil and other harmful substances in cases of emergency of 1976 in the relations between the Parties to both instruments.