Argentina Approves the Nairobi Convention

Law 27812, published in the Argentine Official Gazette on June 18, 2026, approves the International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, adopted in Nairobi, Republic of Kenya, on May 18, 2007. The Nairobi Convention was adopted under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and establishes a uniform legal framework for locating, marking, and removing wrecks that may be a hazard to navigation or the marine environment. Its adoption addressed the long-standing absence of a specific international regime governing liability for the removal of hazardous wrecks.

Key provisions of the Nairobi Convention include a regime for reporting maritime casualties that resulted in wrecks, the determination of risks, the locating and marking of wrecks, and their removal. The Convention also grants affected member States the authority—under certain circumstances—to intervene directly or require the removal of such wrecks in accordance with its provisions.

The treaty requires owners of ships of 300 gross tonnage and above to maintain insurance or other financial securities covering liability arising from wreck removal. This requirement is intended to ensure that adequate financial resources are available to cover the costs associated with such operations.

The ratification of the Convention had been advocated by the Argentine Maritime Law Association. By approving the Convention, Argentina joins the international regime in it, which currently has 75 States Parties.