Entry into Force
A1. The IMO and the international regulatory frameworkDefinition
Date a convention becomes legally binding, governed by tonnage and ratification thresholds.
Entry into force is the date a convention becomes legally binding on its parties, set by conditions in the treaty’s final articles. IMO conventions typically require a minimum number of states whose combined merchant fleets represent a set percentage of world gross tonnage, followed by a waiting period of 12 to 24 months. SOLAS 1974 entered force on 25 May 1980, MARPOL 73/78 Annex I/II on 2 October 1983, and the BWM Convention on 8 September 2017.
Source: Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969