Almost exactly a month after the initial signing ceremony, with the signature of Niger obtained 22 October, the number of signatories to the Convention now stands at 21. It is important to recall that ratification, not signature, is what counts: the Convention will come into force one year after 20 nations have deposited their ratifying instruments.Only 16 countries signed at the ceremony, with a further five nations (Cameroon, Armenia, Madagascar, Mali, and Niger) adding their signatures since 23 September 2009. Of the original 16, only 5 are major shipping nations; of the subsequent signatories, none are major shipping nations.
The following is the list of countries have signed as of the date of this article (with date of signature if other than 23 September 2009; major shipping nations noted in bold):
Armenia (29 Sept/09)
Cameroon (29 Sept/09)
Congo
Denmark
France
Gabon
Ghana
Greece
Guinea
Madagascar (25 Sept/09)
Mali (26 Sept/09)
Netherlands
Niger (22 Oct/09)
Nigeria
Norway
Poland
Senegal
Spain
Switzerland
Togo
United States of America
The status of the convention is available on the UNCITRAL website here:
