za Vlado Republike Albanije Fatos Bitincka l. r.
AGREEMENT
BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA OF MARITIME TRANSPORT
The Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Albania (Hereinafter: the contracting parties) have, in the desire to deepen their cooperation in the field of maritime transport and for the purpose of establishing appropriate conditions for, maritime transport, of affirming equal and mutually beneficial cooperation and of promoting the development of maritime transport between the two States, agreed upon the following:
Article 1
The various terms used in this agreement have the following meanings:
1. »ship of one contracting party« means those ships which sail under the flag of one or the other State;
This term does not include:
a) military ships and ships which supply the armed forces of one or the other contracting party, and other ships exclusively in the composition of the armed forces,
b) scientific research ships (from the fields of hydrography, oceanography and scientific research), rescue ships and other ships which serve special, noncommercial purposes, for instance: hospital ships, school ships and other ships when there are military personnel aboard,
c) fishing ships, yachts etc.
2. »owner« or »Operator« is a natural or juridical person who is responsible for the maritime operation.
3. »member of the ship's crew« denotes any person who is employed on the ships during the voyage and performs work in association with the use or maintenance of the ships and the name of whom is on the crew list.
4.»maritime transport« means the transport of goods and/or passengers.
Article 2
The contracting parties shall recognize the nationality of the ships of the other contracting party on the basis of Item 1, Article 1 of this agreement and of inspection confirmations, issued according to the regulations by the authorized body of this contracting party.
The contracting parties shall mutually recognize certificates on measurements and other certificates or ship documents which are issued according to regulations by the authorized body of the other contracting party or those issued by a third state which is recognized by one of the contracting parties and with which the other contracting party agrees, without new measurements and vessel inspections. Port and other shipping taxes are calculated on the basis of the data from the aforementioned documents. These taxes and duties are paid on the basis of tariffs which are valid in the port of berthing.
Article 3
The contracting parties shall with in the powers of their corresponding laws and regulations provide necessary help to ships and employees in the transport of commercial carriage of goods and/or passengers by sea between ports of both States and refrain from behaviour which could harm the development of maritime shipping and navigating between States.
The vessels of both contracting parties have the right to sail between the ports of both State open for international transport as well as to perform services for the transport of passengers and cargo between one of both States and some third State.
Article 4
Each contracting party shall within the powers of their laws and regulations adopt the necessary measures to ensure undisturbed navigation between both States, the shortest stay possible in ports and the simplification of administrative, customs and sanitation formalities.
The provisions of this agreement do not limit the right of either contracting party to perform customs inspections on the ships of the other contracting party.
Article 5
The ships of one contracting party, their crew, passengers and cargo, which are in the territorial sea and inland waters and seaports of the other contracting party must respect the laws and regulations of that contracting party, especially those which refer to the satety of navigation, public order, crossing of borders, customs and currency controls, sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary control.
No contracting party shall interfere in the internal affairs of the ships of the other contracting party during their stay in territorial seas, inland waters and seaports, except in the following examples:
– on the written demand of the master of the ship or with the permission of the diplomatic or consular representatives of the other contracting party;
– when events on the ships or its consequences influence the peace, order and public safety of the port;
– when persons involved in these events are not members of the ship's crew;
– when the purpose is to prevent the merchandise of narcotic or psychotrop substances.
Article 6
The ships of one contracting party and the crew, passengers and cargo of such ships shall be, on arrival and at departure from the port of the other contracting party, as well as during a stay of this ship for loading and unloading cargo or for embarking and disembarking passengers, treated as sovereign territory and with the same regime as for their own ships of international maritime transport during:
a) berthing, changing berth, loading and unloading and/or embarking and disembarking in ports, docks and moorings;
b) pilotage and towing of ships, using channels and signal facilities for navigationing;
c) use of port crane facilities, weighing, stacking equipment, storing and using storage facilities;
d) supply of fuel and lubricants, tap water and food;
e) provision of medical services.
The provisions from the above paragraph do not give the right to either of. the contracting parties to perform any kind of port services, including pilotage, measurements, or any other ships services in the port of territorial sea of the other contracting party.
The provisions of the first and second paragraph of this article do not hold for ports which are closed to international shipping.
Article 7
Cabotage between ports of the other contracting party is forbidden except when the contracting parties make a special agreement on this.
Article 8
The provisions of this agreement are also valid for ships which sail under the flag of some third State acceptable from the both parties and which have been leased or managed by a company of one of the contracting parties for transport between ports of both contracting parties or ports of the Staates of both contracting parties and some third State and vice versa.
Article 9
The contracting parties mutually acknowledge the personal documents of the seafarers which have been issued by an authorized administration of the other contracting party or which a third State issued and which is recognized by one of the contracting parties and in which the second contracting party concurs.
These are the following two documents:
– In the Republic of Slovenia: »Seaman's book« (pomorska knjižica)
– In the Republic of Albania: »Seaman's book« (pashaporte lundrimi).
The seafarers of one contracting party who hold valid personal documents may, as members of the ship's crew, disembark without visas into the state's territory of the port of the second contracting party and stay in the adjoining municipality in accordance with the national regulations of each of the contracting parties.
When entering the territory of the second contracting party during transit or on departure from this same territory, the seafarers of the ships of one contracting party must honor the national regulations of the host state.
Article 10
When a ship of one contracting party is staying in the port of the second, the diplomatic and consular bodies of the first as well as the crew member of this same contracting party have the right to establish contact and meet each other, but before this, relevant formalities which are valid with the second contracting party must be observed according to regulations.
Article 11
If the ship of one contracting party is shipwrecked, runs aground or experiences some other damage, then such a ship, its crew, passengers and cargo receives corresponding help from the second contracting party under the same conditions as are provided for similar cases in the regulations of the first contracting party for its own ships, crews, passengers and cargo.
The salvaged property (cargo, equipment, stock or other goods) from the ship which is in trouble, has been shipwrecked, run aground or received some other damage is not liable to customs tariffs except if these goods were not destined for use in the territory of the contracting party in which it has arrived.
The storage of the salvaged property, at sites determined for this, is taxed on the bases of the reciprocity.
The provisions of this article do not Cover the relaxation of taxes for rescuing ships or for aid to ships, passengers, crew and cargo.
The competent authorities of the contracting parties on the coast of which the shipwreck, grounding or other damage occurred to a ship from the second contracting party, reports this to the nearest diplomatic representative of the State to which the ship belongs.
Article 12
All payments which arise from the application of this agreement will proceed in accordance with the valid payment agreements between both States.
Article 13
The contracting parties have agreed that their authorized bodies and ship owners organize conferences in association with the application of this agreement and for strengthening the cooperation between the two States in the field of maritime transport.
Article 14
The contracting parties agree to establish a joint mixed committee which will monitor the application of this agreement, solve possible disputes and, if necessary, propose measures to the signatory governments for promoting cooperation in the field of maritime transport between the two States.
The mixed committee will meet whenever this is in the opinion of the contracting parties necessary, but at least once a year, on a rotational basis, i.e. once in the Republic of Slovenia and the following year in the Republic of Albania and so on, v-v.
Article 15
The composition of the mixed committee is determined by the authorized bodies of the contracting parties.
Article 16
The authorized body is competent for the implementation of the provisions of this agreement, on the Slovenian side by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Slovenia and on the Albanian side by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Albania.
Article 17
The contracting parties notify each other through diplomatic channels of the fulfillment of the internal legal conditions for the affirmation of this agreement. This agreement comes in to effect thirty days after the receipt of the last of these notifications, and is used on a temporary basis from the day of its signing.
The present agreement is concluded for a period of five years. It will continue to be in force for successive periods of five years unless it is denounced in a written form through diplomatic channels by one of the contracting parties six months before the end of each valid period.
Concluded at Tirana, on 21. 12. 1992 in three originals in the Slovenian, Albanian and English languages, where all texts are identical.
If some difficulties in realization as interpretative are shown the competent text is text written in English.
For the Government of
the Republic of Slovenia
Marjan Krajnc (s)
For the Government of
the Republic of Albania
Fatos Bitincka (s)