Seabed Arms Control Treaty

The Seabed Arms Control Treaty (or Seabed Treaty, formally the Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil thereof) is a multilateral agreement between the United States, Soviet Union (now Russia), United Kingdom, and 91 other countries banning the emplacement of nuclear weapons or "weapons of mass destruction" on the ocean floor beyond a 12-mile (22.2 km) coastal zone. It allows signatories to observe all seabed "activities" of any other signatory beyond the 12-mile zone to ensure compliance.

Like the Antarctic Treaty, the Outer Space Treaty, and the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone treaties, the Seabed Arms Control Treaty sought to prevent the introduction of international conflict and nuclear weapons into an area hitherto free of them. Reaching agreement on the seabed, however, involved problems that were not met in framing the other two agreements.Template:Such as

History

In the 1960s, advances in the technology of oceanography and greatly increased interest in the vast and virtually untapped resources of the ocean floor led to concern that the absence of clearly established rules of law might lead to strife. There were concurrent fears that nations might use the seabed as a new environment for military installations, including those capable of launching nuclear weapons.

In keeping with a proposal submitted to the U.N. Secretary General by Ambassador Pardo of Malta in August 1967, the U.N. General Assembly, on 18 December 1967, established an ad hoc committee to study ways of reserving the seabed for peaceful purposes, with the objective of ensuring "that the exploration and use of the seabed and the ocean floor should be conducted in accordance with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, in the interests of maintaining international peace and security and for the benefit of all mankind." The committee was given permanent status the following year. At the same time, seabed-related military and arms control issues were referred to the Eighteen Nation Committee on Disarmament (ENDC) and its successor, the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament (CCD). In a message of 18 March 1969, President Nixon said the American delegation to the ENDC should seek discussion of the factors necessary for an international agreement prohibiting the emplacement of weapons of mass destruction on the seabed and ocean floor and pointed out that an agreement of this kind would, like the Antarctic and Outer Space treaties, "prevent an arms race before it has a chance to start."

Status

List of parties

The Seabed Arms Control Treaty was opened for signature in Washington, London, and Moscow on 11 February 1971. It entered into force 18 May 1972, when the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and more than 22 nations had deposited instruments of ratification. As of October 2018, 94 current states are parties to the treaty, while another 21 have signed the treaty but have not completed ratification.

Multiple dates indicate the different days in which states submitted their signature or deposition, which varied by location. This location is noted by: (L) for London, (M) for Moscow, and (W) for Washington.

State	Signed	Deposited	Method
Afghanistan	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Algeria		Template:Dts (W)	Accession
Antigua and Barbuda		Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (L)	Succession from United Kingdom
Argentina	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Australia	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Austria	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Bahamas		Template:Dts (W)	Accession
Belarus	Template:Dts (M)	Template:Dts (M)	Ratified as the Template:Country data Byelorussian SSR
Belgium	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Benin	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Bosnia and Herzegovina		Template:Dts (W)	Succession from SFR Yugoslavia
Botswana	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Brazil	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, W) Template:Dts (M)	Ratification
Bulgaria	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (L)	Ratification
Canada	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Cape Verde		Template:Dts (M)	Accession
Central African Republic	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
China		Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Accession
Congo		Template:Dts (W)	Accession
Template:Country data Côte d'Ivoire		Template:Dts (M, W)	Accession
Cuba		Template:Dts (M)	Accession
Cyprus	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M) Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Czech Republic		Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M)	Succession from Czechoslovakia
Denmark	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Dominican Republic	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Ethiopia	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M, W)	Ratification
Finland	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Germany	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, W)	Ratification
Ghana	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Greece	Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Guatemala	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Guinea-Bissau		Template:Dts (M)	Accession
Hungary	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Iceland	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
India		Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Accession
Iran	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, W) Template:Dts (M)	Ratification
Iraq	Template:Dts (M)	Template:Dts (M)	Ratification
Ireland	Template:Dts (L, W)	Template:Dts (L, W)	Ratification
Italy	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Jamaica	Template:Dts (L, W) Template:Dts (M)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Japan	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Jordan	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (L)	Ratification
South Korea	Template:Dts (L, W)	Template:Dts (L, W)	Ratification
Laos	Template:Dts (L, W) Template:Dts (M)	Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Latvia		Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (M)	Accession
Lesotho	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Libya		Template:Dts (M)	Accession
Liechtenstein		Template:Dts (L, W) Template:Dts (M)	Accession
Luxembourg	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Malaysia	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Malta	Template:Dts (L, W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Mauritius	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M)	Ratification
Mexico		Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Accession
Mongolia	Template:Dts (L, M)	Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (L)	Ratification
Montenegro		Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (L)	Succession from FR YugoslaviaTemplate:Efn
Morocco	Template:Dts (M, W) Template:Dts (L)	Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (M)	Ratification
Nepal	Template:Dts (M, W) Template:Dts (L)	Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Netherlands	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
New Zealand	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Nicaragua	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Niger	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Norway	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M) Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Panama	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Philippines		Template:Dts (L)	Accession
Poland	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Portugal		Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Accession
Qatar		Template:Dts (L)	Accession
Romania	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Russia	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratified as the Soviet Union
Rwanda	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Saint Kitts and Nevis		Template:Dts (W)	Accession
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines		Template:Dts (L)	Succession from United Kingdom
Sao Tome and Principe		Template:Dts (M)	Accession
Saudi Arabia	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Serbia		Template:Dts (L, M)	Succession from FR Yugoslavia
Seychelles		Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (W)	Accession
Singapore	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Slovakia		Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M)	Succession from Czechoslovakia
Slovenia		Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (W)	Succession from SFR Yugoslavia
Solomon Islands		Template:Dts (L)	Succession from United Kingdom
South Africa	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M)	Ratification
Spain		Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Accession
Template:Country data Swaziland	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Sweden	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Switzerland	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Togo	Template:Dts (W)	Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Tunisia	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (W)	Ratification
Turkey	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M)	Ratification
Ukraine	Template:Dts (M)	Template:Dts (M)	Ratified as the Template:Country data Ukrainian SSR
United Kingdom	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
United States	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Template:Dts (L, M, W)	Ratification
Vietnam		Template:Dts (M)	Accession as the Socialist Republic of VietnamTemplate:Efn
Yemen	Template:Dts (M)	Template:Dts (M)	Ratification
Zambia		Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (M)	Accession

Notes

State with limited recognition, abiding by treaty

The Republic of China (Taiwan), which is currently only recognized by Template:Numrec, deposited their instruments of ratification of the treaty prior to the United States' decision to switch their recognition of the sole legitimate government of China from the Republic of China (ROC) to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1971. When the PRC subsequently ratified the treaty, they described the ROC's ratification as "illegal". The ROC has committed itself to continue to adhere to the requirements of the treaty, and the United States has declared that they still consider them to be "bound by its obligations".

State	Signed	Deposited	Method
Republic of China	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Ratification

States that have signed but not ratified

State	Signed
Bolivia	Template:Dts (L, M, W)
Burundi	Template:Dts (M, W)
Cambodia	Template:Dts (W)
Cameroon	Template:Dts (M)
Colombia	Template:Dts (W)
Costa Rica	Template:Dts (W)
Equatorial Guinea	Template:Dts (W)
Gambia	Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (W)
Guinea	Template:Dts (M, W)
Honduras	Template:Dts (W)
Lebanon	Template:Dts (L, M, W)
Liberia	Template:Dts (W)
Madagascar	Template:Dts (W)
Mali	Template:Dts (W) Template:Dts (M)
Myanmar	Template:Dts (L, M, W)
Paraguay	Template:Dts (W)
Senegal	Template:Dts (W)
Sierra Leone	Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M) Template:Dts (W)
Sudan	Template:Dts (L) Template:Dts (M)
Tanzania	Template:Dts (W)
Uruguay	Template:Dts (W)

Non-signatory states

The remaining UN member states and UN observer states, which have not signed the treaty, are:

• Albania
• Andorra
• Angola
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belize
• Bhutan
• Brunei
• Burkina Faso
• Chad
• Chile
• Comoros
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Croatia
• Djibouti
• Dominica
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Eritrea
• Estonia
• Fiji
• France
• Gabon
• Template:Country data Georgia
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Indonesia
• Israel
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• North Korea
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Lithuania
• Malawi
• Maldives
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritania
• Template:Country data Micronesia
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Nauru
• Nigeria
• Template:Country data North Macedonia
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Peru
• Saint Lucia
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Somalia
• South Sudan
• Sri Lanka
• Suriname
• Syria
• Tajikistan
• Thailand
• Timor Leste
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turkmenistan
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• United Arab Emirates
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Venezuela
• Zimbabwe

See also

• International Seabed Authority
• Template:Portal-inline

External links

• Text of the treaty
• Seabed Arms Control Treaty, Federation of American Scientists
• Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil Thereof, United States Department of State
• Signatories and ratifications list