For the purposes of the present Convention, unless expressly provided
otherwise:
| (1) |
Regulation
means the regulations contained in the Annexes to the present
Convention. |
| (2) |
Harmful
substance means any substance which, if introduced into
the sea, is liable to create hazards to human health, to harm
living resources and marine life, to damage amenities or to
interfere with other legitimate uses of the sea, and includes
any substance subject to control by the present Convention. |
| (3) |
(a) |
Discharge,
in relation to harmful substances or effluents containing such
substances, means any release howsoever caused from a ship and
includes any escape, disposal, spilling, leaking, pumping, emitting
or emptying; |
| |
(b) |
Discharge
does not include: |
| |
|
(i) |
dumping within the meaning of the Convention
on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and
Other Matter, done at London on 13 November 1972; or |
| |
|
(ii) |
release of harmful substances directly arising
from the exploration, exploitation and associated offshore processing
of sea-bed mineral resources; or |
| |
|
(iii) |
release of harmful substances for purposes
of legitimate scientific research into pollution abatement or
control. |
| (4) |
Ship
means a vessel of any type whatsoever operating in the marine
environment and includes hydrofoil boats, air-cushion vehicles,
submersibles, floating craft and fixed or floating platforms. |
| (5) |
Administration
means the Government of the State under whose authority the
ship is operating. With respect to a ship entitled to fly a
flag of any State, the Administration is the Government of that
State. With respect to fixed or floating platforms engaged in
exploration and exploitation of the sea-bed and subsoil thereof
adjacent to the coast over which the coastal State exercises
sovereign rights for the purposes of exploration and exploitation
of their natural resources, the Administration is the Government
of the coastal State concerned. |
| (6) |
Incident
means an event involving the actual or probable discharge into
the sea of a harmful substance, or effluents containing such
a substance. |
| (7) |
Organization
means the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization.* |