2012 Cape Town Agreement to enhance fishing safety
Fishing is one of the most dangerous professions in the world, with thousands of fishers estimated to lose their lives every year when working to supply the
world's growing appetite for fish and fish products. There are about 4.6 million fishing vessels in operation around the world.
IMO has been working to increase safety in this sector for many years in partnership with stakeholders such as the International Labour Organization, Pew Charitable Trusts, etc
The Cape Town Agreement of 2012 (CTA), the global treaty for safety of fishing vessels, will enter into force in February 2027, after meeting the requirements.
More information here.
The importance of the Cape Town Agreement
The CTA will contribute to safe, legal and sustainable shipping. The agreement strengthens safety standards for more than 45,000 vessels world wide that are 24 metres in length. It is aimed at facilitating better control of fishing vessel safety by flag, port and coastal States. The CTA is also expected to contribute to preventing marine plastic pollution from abandoned fishing nets and other equipment.
FAQs: The 2012 Cape Town Agreement
The 2012 Cape Town Agreement is an internationally-binding instrument that sets minimum requirements on the design, construction, equipment, and inspection of fishing vessels of 24 meters in length and over or equivalent in gross tons. The Agreement includes mandatory international requirements for stability and associated seaworthiness, machinery and electrical installations, life-saving appliances, communications equipment and fire protection, as well as fishing vessel construction. For more a more detailed explanation about the 2012 Cape Town Agreement, click here.
The 2012 Cape Town Agreement has met the requirements and will enter into force in February 2027. More information here.
The
latest country acceded to the Agreement on 24 February 2026. This brought the total number of Member State accessions to 28, representing 3,754 vessels of 24 metres or more in length. The Cape Town Agreement entered into force 12 months after at least 22 States, collectively representing 3,600 qualifying fishing vessels — typically ocean-going ships operating on the high seas — consented to being bound by the treaty.
At present there are 28 contracting Member States to the CTA : Argentina, Belgium, Belize, Congo, Cook Islands, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Iceland, Japan, Kenya, Namibia, Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain and Vanuatu.
Further countries may become Parties to the Cape Town Agreement. As with other international treaty instruments, the Cape Town Agreement needs to be ratified and implemented. Different countries have different processes for doing this. They may need to look at existing regulations for fishing vessels, if any, and see whether they need to be adapted or updated.
IMO can assist with technical and legal training and support, through its technical cooperation programme. The Implementation Guidelines on Part B of the Code, the Voluntary Guidelines and the Safety Recommendations could be useful for States implementing the provisions of the 2012 Cape Town Agreement, although the main purpose of these Guidelines is to assist competent authorities in the implementation of voluntary instruments.
International treaties such as the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) have been in force for any decades for commercial shipping, including cargo and passenger ships. SOLAS article 3 excludes fishing vessels from most regulations(certain regulations covering navigation and communications apply to all vessels).
For cargo and passenger ships, the four pillars for safety, environmental protection and seafarers' training and rights are said to be IMO's SOLAS, MARPOL and STCW treaties as well as ILO's Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006).
Yes. Identifying and tracking fishing vessels and being able to establish their ownership is an important part of ongoing work.
Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear can become a navigational hazard. To combat abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear, which remains a significant source of ocean plastic pollution, the IMO Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response approved a draft circular promoting the implementation of fishing-gear marking systems and the FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Marking of Fishing Gear (VGMFG). This will be submitted for approval to MEPC 84. The Voluntary Guidelines on Marking of Fishing Gear aim to facilitate the reporting, recovery and disposal of such gear, and includes as supplementary documents: a framework for conducting a risk assessment for a system on the marking of fishing gear; and a manual for the marking of fishing gear. In addition, IMO's GloLitter Partnerships Project supports developing countries, including Small Islands Developing States and Least Developed Countries, in identifying opportunities for the prevention and reduction of marine plastic litter. The project operates under joint implementation of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), providing support to both the shipping and fisheries industries.
Ensuring safe and sustainable fishing is clearly linked with SDG 14.
IMO's Maritime Safety Committee has considered how safety measures might be applied.
Generally speaking, these small vessels come under national legislation. FAO, ILO and IMO issued a Voluntary guidelines for the design, construction and equipment of small fishing vessels 2005.
Ministerial Conference on Fishing Vessel Safety, Spain, October 2019
The Ministerial Conference on Fishing Vessel Safety, organized by IMO and the Government of Spain, Torremolinos, Málaga, Spain in October 2019. During the conference, nearly 50 States signed the Torremolinos Declaration, publicly indicating their determination to ratify the Agreement by the target date of 11 October 2022 (tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Agreement). Read more here.
Webinars
IMO has been working with Member States and relevant stakeholders for capacity building to implement the 2021 Cape Town Agreement. In 2020-2022 it held a series of regional webinars aimed at decision-makers from maritime Administrations, fisheries authorities and maritime law enforcement agencies.