Entry into force of the 2010 HNS Convention in sight as four States ratify Protocol

IOPC Funds’ Director, Gaute Sivertsen (left), joins Arsenio Dominguez (fourth from left), Secretary-General of IMO, and Ambassadors of Belgium, Germany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sweden on the occasion of the States’ deposit of instruments of accession/ratification to the 2010 HNS Protocol at IMO Headquarters.

Belgium, Germany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sweden have become the latest States to deposit instruments of accession to the 2010 HNS Protocol.

The four States deposited their instruments of ratification or accession with the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at an event held during the 113th session of the IMO Legal Committee in London on 14 April 2026. This brings the number of Contracting States to 12 and fulfils a key requirement for the Protocol to enter into force.

IOPC Funds’ Director, Gaute Sivertsen, congratulated the States on their ratifications, noting that the development marked a major milestone for the maritime community and generated further momentum towards the entry into force of the 2010 HNS Convention. He affirmed the IOPC Funds Secretariat’s readiness to undertake the necessary preparations in support of the entry into force of the Protocol and the convening of the first session of the HNS Fund Assembly.  Once all Contracting States have fulfilled their reporting requirements by the end of May 2026, the 18-month countdown to the long-awaited entry into force date will begin.

The 2010 HNS Convention addresses a gap in the international maritime liability and compensation regime and establishes a clear framework to ensure that funding is available to provide compensation for losses resulting from spills involving a wide range of hazardous and noxious substances.

The IOPC Funds Secretariat will report on the latest progress in preparations for the entry into force of the 2010 HNS Convention at the next sessions of the governing bodies in May 2026.