The Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria, hereinafter referred to as “the Contracting parties“,
affirming their endeavour to develop maritime merchant shipping between their countries on the basis of equality of rights and mutual benefit,
being desirous to assist for strengthening of the co-operation in the field of maritime merchant shipping on the basis of the principle of freedom of the merchant shipping,
have agreed as follows:
Article 1
For the purpose of this Agreement:
1. The term “vessel of the Contracting party“ shall mean any vessel, flying the flag of that country and registered in accordance with its legislation in that territory, as well as any time-chartered vessel. Chartered vessel shall mean any vessel, registered in a third state in accordance with its legislation, flying the flag of this state and operated by natural person or legal entity of one of the Contracting parties, according to their legislation. This term shall not include warships and other vessels, used for non-merchant purposes, as well as hydrographic, scientific-research and fishing vessels.
2. The term “crew member“ shall mean the captain or any person, included in the crew list and during the voyage actually engaged for duties on board the vessel, maintenance or servicing on board that vessel.
3. The competent maritime authorities are:
on the part of the Republic of Slovenia – the Ministry of Transport and Communications
on the part of the Republic of Bulgaria – the Ministry of Transport
Article 2
The present Agreement shall be applied on the territory of the Republic of Slovenia and on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Article 3
The co-operation between the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Bulgaria in the field of maritime merchant shipping shall be based on the principles of equality of rights, recognition of the national sovereignty, mutual benefit and mutual interests.
The Contracting parties shall render each other any possible help for the realisation of the principle of freedom of maritime merchant shipping and shall refrain from taking any measures that may harm the normal progress of international navigation.
Article 4
Contracting parties shall assist for the establishment of relations between their enterprises, organisations and authorities, operated in the field of maritime transport.
Article 5
1. The Contracting parties have agreed on the following:
a) to promote the participation of vessels of the Contracting parties in maritime transport between ports of their countries;
b) to co-operate for the elimination of hindrances that may hinder the development of transportations between the ports of their countries;
c) to abstain from hindering vessels of one of the Contracting parties to perform maritime transportations between the ports of the other Contracting party and the ports of third states.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this article shall not infringe the right of vessels of the third parties to participate in maritime transportations between the ports of the Contracting parties.
Article 6
1. Each Contracting party shall render the vessels of the Contracting parties, used in international maritime transportations, the same treatment as it renders to its national vessels as regards free access to ports, provision of quay berths, loading and unloading equipment, embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, port fees levied and use of services, related to maritime merchant shipping.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this article:
a) shall not apply to ports, not open for foreign vessels;
b) shall not apply to activity which is reserved by each of the Contracting parties for their enterprises and organisations, such as cabotage, rescue operations and towing;
c) shall not oblige the Contracting parties to extend to vessels of the other Contracting party the exemptions from the rules of the compulsory pilotage granted to their vessels;
d) shall not infringe the applying of regulations of each of the Contracting parties, regarding the admission, stay and leaving of foreigners.
Article 7
The Contracting parties shall within the framework of their national legislation and port regulations undertake all necessary measures to facilitate and encourage the maritime transportations, to avoid the unreasonable detention of vessels, as well as, to accelerate and simplify, as far as possible, the customs and all other formalities applicable in their ports.
Article 8
1. The documents, certifying the nationality of vessels, tonnage certificates of vessels and other vessel documents, issued or recognised by one of the Contracting parties shall be recognised by the other Contracting party.
2. The vessels of one of the Contracting parties, provided with International Tonnage Certificates, lawfully issued in accordance with the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969, shall be exempted from any other measurement in the ports of the other Contracting party. These certificates shall be used as basis for calculation of the port fees.
Article 9
Each of the Contracting parties shall recognise the seafarer’s identity documents, issued by the competent authorities of the other Contracting party.
Such identity documents shall be:
for the nationals of the Republic of Slovenia – “seaman’s book“;
for the nationals of the Republic of Bulgaria – “seafarer’s passport“.
Article 10
The persons, as crew members of a vessel of the Contracting party, holding a valid identity document, as referred to in article 9 of this Agreement, shall be permitted, within the stay of the vessel in the port of the other Contracting party, to disembark and stay in the port town according to the legislation of the country of admittance without visa, provided that the captain of the vessel has given to the local competent authorities a crew list.
While disembarking and embarking on board the ship these persons shall pass through the control procedures, established according to the provisions of the legislation of this country.
Article 11
1. The persons, possessing seafarer’s identity documents, as refereed to in article 9 of this Agreement, issued by one of the Contracting parties shall be permitted for the purpose to stay in the territory of the other Contracting party or pass through its territory, to return on board their vessel, to return to the country of their origin or for other purpose recognised as acceptable by the competent authorities of this Contracting party, regardless the type of vehicle used and complying with the laws and regulations of that same Contracting party.
2. The competent authorities of either Contracting party shall permit the stay in hospitals on their territory to crewmembers of the vessel of the other Contracting party for the time required for the medical treatment.
Each of the Contracting parties, in accordance with its national legislation, shall provide the necessary medical aid to members of the crew of the vessel of the other Contracting party.
Article 12
The provisions of article 9 and 10 shall be applied to any person, which is not national of the Contracting parties, but possesses identity documents according to the provisions of the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, dated 1965 and the Attachment to it or of the Convention No. 108 on Seafarer’s Identity Documents of the International Labour Organisation, dated 1958. Such identity documents shall be issued by a country, party to the respective Conventions, and shall guarantee to its holder the right to return to the country that has issued the document.
Article 13
1. While applying the provisions of article 9-11 of this Agreement, the regulations for admission and leaving of foreigners in the territory of the Contracting parties shall stay in force.
2. Each of the Contracting parties reserves itself the right to deny entry and stay on its territory to persons which deemed undesirable.
Article 14
1. If vessel of one of the Contracting parties castaway, gets stranded, tuns aground or suffers any other accident alongside the coast of the other Contracting party, the competent authorities of that party shall grant the protection, aid and co-operation to the passengers, crew, the vessel itself and its cargo to the same extent, as they afford to the vessel flying its national flag.
2. If the vessel of one of the Contracting parties has suffered a damage on the territory of the other Contracting party, its cargo, stores and other property shall be exempted from VAT, duties and taxes, except in the cases when they are appointed for direct consumption and usage on the territory of the other Contracting party.
3. The provisions of paragraph 2 or this article shall not overrule the laws and regulations related to temporal storage of freights, applicable on the territories of the Contracting parties.
Article 15
The shipping enterprises and organisations of the either Contracting party shall be entitled to establish agency offices on the territory of the other Contracting party. The activity of those agency offices shall be in accordance with the laws of the country on which territory they are established.
Article 16
1. Each Contracting party shall grant the right to use for payment purposes the income and revenues gained from maritime transport on the territory of one Contracting party by the shipping enterprises and organisations of the other Contracting party.
The shipping enterprises and organisations of either Contracting party shall be entitled to transfer to their Country of origin, in accordance with the applicable national legislation, all the revenues remaining after the above mentioned payments were made.
2. All payments, arising from activities, pursuant to this Agreement shall be made in free convertible foreign currency, mutual acceptable to the interested organisations of both Contracting parties.
Article 17
1. The competent authorities of one of the Contracting parties shall not consider civil disputes between the shipowner, the captain and the other members of the crew, concerning the labour relations and the work on board the vessel flying the flag of the other Contracting party.
2. The competent authorities of one of the Contracting parties shall not exercise penalty jurisdiction for crime, committed on board of vessel of the other Contracting party, passing through its territorial sea, except in the following cases:
a) the crime disturbs the peace and order in its territorial waters;
b) the consequences of the crime affect the territory of the country where the ship is staying;
c) to prevent illegal trade with narcotics, psychotropics and radioactive substances;
d) with the consent of the competent diplomatic or consular official of the country, which flag the vessel is flying;
e) crime against peace end mankind.
3. The provisions of paragraph 2 of this article shall not infringe the right of the authorities of each Contracting party to control and investigate events in accordance with its legislation.
4. In accordance with its national legislation each of the Contracting parties shall exercise penalty jurisdiction for any crime, committed on board of a vessel of the other Contracting party during its stay in its ports or its internal waters.
Article 18
If necessary, representatives of the competent maritime authorities of the Contracting parties shall meet consecutively in the Republic of Slovenia and in the Republic of Bulgaria in order to discuss issues, related to the implementation of this Agreement and other issues of mutual interest, related to shipping.
Article 19
Any dispute, with regard to the interpretation or application of this Agreement shall be settled through direct negotiations between the competent authorities of the Contracting parties. If the above mentioned authorities do not reach an agreement, the dispute shall be settled through diplomatic channels.
Article 20
This Agreement shall enter into force 30 days after the date of the receiving of the second of two diplomatic notes, with which both Contracting parties inform each other about the completion of the procedures required for its entry into force, according to their national legislation.
This Agreement is concluded for an undefined term and remains into force 6 months after any of the Contracting parties declares in writing to the other Contracting party its denunciation.
Drafted in Ljubljana on 27 October, 1999 in two original copies, each of them in Slovenian, Bulgarian and English languages, the three texts being equally authentic. In case of arising disputes, related to the interpretation of the text of this Agreement, the English text shall have priority.
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