Nairobi Convention 2007 — Wreck Removal

The Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007 (Nairobi WRC) came into force 14 April 2015 and is the primary international instrument governing removal of hazardous wrecks in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of coastal states. Prior to Nairobi, wreck-removal authority was patchy — coastal states could act within their territorial sea but had unclear jurisdiction beyond 12 nautical miles. Nairobi closes that gap. As of 2025, ~60 state parties represent ~75% of world tonnage. It sits alongside SOLAS, MARPOL, and CLC/Bunker Convention as one of the core international shipping-liability instruments.

Scope + jurisdiction

Geographic scope. The EEZ (out to 200 nm) of state parties. Extends to the territorial sea only if the state has explicitly opted in via Article 3(2). Historical wreck-removal law within territorial waters remains national.
Wreck definition. A sunken or stranded ship, any part of a ship (including any object that is or has been on board), or a lost or non-manoeuvrable ship or object that has been lost at sea, following a maritime casualty. Includes drifting containers.
Hazardous wreck triggers. The wreck may reasonably be expected to result in harmful consequences: obstruction of shipping, damage to marine environment, damage to coastline or economic interests, threat to navigational safety. Coastal state determination.

Registered shipowner obligations

Article 9 places the removal obligation on the registered shipowner. Key requirements:

Reporting. Master must immediately report the casualty to the nearest coastal state.
Marking. Coastal state marks the hazard; costs recoverable from registered shipowner.
Removal. Registered shipowner must remove the hazardous wreck. Coastal state may set the deadline + intervene if shipowner fails.
Recovery. Coastal state recovers costs of coastal-state intervention (marking + removal) directly from shipowner + insurer.

Compulsory insurance + WRC certificate

Every ship of 300 GT + registered in a state party must carry a Wreck Removal Certificate (WRC certificate) issued by the flag state, based on a Blue Card issued by an IG P&I Club. The certificate covers wreck- removal costs up to the LLMC limit applicable to the vessel's gross tonnage. Direct action against the insurer is permitted — coastal state can recover directly from the P&I Club named on the certificate even if the shipowner is insolvent. Port State Control routinely checks WRC certificates alongside CLC + Bunker + PAL Blue Cards.

Interaction with other conventions

LLMC 1976 + 1996 Protocol. Nairobi Convention wreck-removal claims are subject to LLMC limitation UNLESS the state party has made the Article 18 reservation excluding wreck-removal costs. Many Nairobi states have made this reservation, meaning wreck-removal proceeds unlimited under Nairobi even though LLMC would otherwise cap it. See /reference/llmc.
Salvage Convention 1989. Salvage rewards for successful voluntary salvage of the wreck remain governed by the Salvage Convention. Nairobi covers coastal-state-mandated removal.
CLC 1992 + Bunker Convention 2001. Oil-pollution claims proceed under the specific regime; wreck-removal proceeds under Nairobi. Overlapping incidents (e.g. Wakashio 2020) can generate parallel claims under multiple regimes. See /reference/bunker-convention.

State parties + geographic coverage

As of 2025, ~60 state parties including UK, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Malta, Belgium, Bulgaria, Marshall Islands, Liberia, Panama, Kenya, Nigeria, India, Iran, Malaysia, and Australia. The Marshall Islands + Liberia + Panama ratifications are particularly important given their outsized share of world tonnage under WRC certification. USA has NOT ratified — US wreck-removal proceeds under domestic OPA-90 + USACE authority.

Notable wreck-removal cases post-Nairobi

Costa Concordia (2012-2014). Parbuckling refloat + tow to Genoa for scrapping. Cost ~$1.2bn; largest single wreck-removal operation in history. See /disasters/costa-concordia.
MV Rena (2011-2016). New Zealand wreck-removal + salvage operation continuing for 5 years. Cost ~NZ$450M. See /disasters/rena.
MV Modern Express (2016). French coast wreck-removal — successful last-minute salvage before grounding.
MV Sounion (2024). EU NAVFOR ASPIDES-coordinated Red Sea salvage in active conflict zone. Averted major crude-oil-spill wreck. See /piracy-incidents.