In 1977, delegates adopted the first international treaty on the safety of fishing vessels in Torremolinos, the follow-up protocol of which was adopted in 1993. This agreement did not enter into force. IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim said that more than 40 years later, the world had returned to Torremolinos to commit to the agreement`s entry into force. Lim welcomed the “broader consensus of the 2019 conference on the urgent need for the Cape Town Agreement to enter into force,” and stressed that it would be a “significant contribution to the long-term sustainability of the fishing industry.” He called for the agreement to be put into force as soon as possible. More than 40 years after the adoption of the world`s first treaty on the safety of fishing vessels in Torremolinos, representatives have returned to Torremolinos. This agreement did not enter into force, nor did a 1993 follow-up protocol. The 2012 Cape Town Agreement addressed the technical issues that prevented the treaty from entering into force. Today, observers say the agreement has now been moved on. The 2012 Cape Town Agreement provides for the entry into force of a total of 22 ratification countries, with a total fishing fleet of 3,600 vessels. To date, 11 countries, including a total fleet of 2,400 countries, have ratified the convention, including six EU countries – Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. The European Commission believes that there is an urgent need to create a global framework. The ratification of the 2012 Cape Town Agreement would create a level playing field at the global level, with the following benefits: this agreement will contribute to improving maritime policy by establishing fundamental international safety requirements for fishing vessels.
This will also help prevent illegal, unregulated and unreported fisheries, as poor safety standards are a hallmark of vessels whose operators underestimate illegal capture or fishing or minimize costs by any means, break the law, endanger their crew and endanger the safety of their vessels. Mr Lim called on countries to adopt the agreement on improving maritime security and to contribute to the prevention of illegal fishing. Thirteen countries have ratified the agreement: Belgium, Congo, cook Islands, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, St. Christopher and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa and Spain. Two of them, Cook Islands and Sao Tome and Principe, submitted their official ratification letters to the Torremolinos Conference. The Cape Town agreement follows a handful of other international fisheries agreements that have gained ground in recent years. During the event, new impetus was given to this objective, with three other countries (Bulgaria, Poland and Portugal) signing the “Torremolinos Declaration”, in which States publicly stated their commitment to ratify the Cape Town Agreement until the tenth anniversary of its adoption (11 October 2022) and to combat unreported and unregulated illegal fishing.