About
The Convention primarily applies within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the state parties. A state party may, however, extend the application of the Wreck Removal Convention to wrecks located within its territorial sea. Norway has also extended the application of the Convention to its territorial waters.
The registered owner of the wreck is strictly liable for the costs of locating, marking and removing the wreck, unless the ship-owner can establish that the wreck resulted from, inter alia, war and hostilities.
Moreover, the Wreck Removal Convention requires that the registered owner of a ship of 300 gross tonnage and above that is registered in a state party must have insurance or other financial security to cover liability under the Convention. It also provides states with a right of direct action against insurers.
The issuing authority may require the applicant to demonstrate the financial stability of its insurance company and/or approval by other flag states. In Norway, members of the International Group of P&I Clubs and insurers registered in the EU/EEA with cross-border activities are automatically approved.
Who does it impact?
Ships sailing under the flag of a state party, and ships of 300 gross tonnage and above – wherever registered – entering or leaving a port of a state party, or arriving at or leaving from an offshore facility in the territorial sea of a state party. In such event, the state party must ensure that the ship has a certificate of insurance when entering such area.
Vessels registered in NOR and NIS were previously only required to have a certificate when entering a convention state. Norway had an agreement with Denmark which entailed that Denmark issued the Wreck Removal Certificates for Norwegian vessels when required.
From 11 February 2025, vessels registered in NOR and NIS of more than 300 gross tonnage will be required to hold a Wreck Removal Certificate issued by the Norwegian Maritime Authority. This applies both for vessels on domestic and international voyages. Vessels that already hold a certificate issued by a foreign authority may continue to operate on this certificate until it expires or is invalidated.
Status: In force
The Wreck Removal Convention entered into force on 14 April 2015.
There were 15 state parties to the Wreck Removal Convention when it entered into force and as per November 2025 there are 73 parties that have ratified or acceded to the Convention.
Norway has ratified the Wreck Removal Convention, and the convention entered into force in Norway on 11 February 2025.
Relation to other initiatives and regulations
The Wreck Removal Convention is a multilateral convention created by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
In Norway, the Wreck Removal Convention will operate in parallel with the existing national regulations in the Harbour and Waterway Act, the Pollution Act and the Marine Resources Act. There are notable differences between the two systems, e.g. that the responsible party pursuant to the Wreck Removal Convention is the registered owner, whereas the party responsible pursuant to the national regulations does not necessarily have to be the registered owner.
Additionally, there are different statute limitation periods for bringing a claim under the Convention (three years) and the national legislation (five years). It remains to be seen how this dual system will function in practice.
Thommessen's comments
The Wreck Removal Convention makes ship-owners financially liable and require ship-owners to provide insurance or other financial security to cover the costs for wreck removal.
It should be noted that most incidents resulting in shipwrecks occur in territorial waters. If the state parties do not choose to extend the application of the Wreck Removal Convention to territorial waters, the state parties will be entitled to exercise their sovereign powers under the UN Law of the Sea Convention ('UNCLOS'), but will not have the advantage of the extended rights under the Wreck Removal Convention, in particular the compulsory insurance/financial security regime.