The UN Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships has entered into force

The United Nations Convention on the International Consequences of Judicial Sales of Ships has entered into force.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has welcomed the entry into force of the Beijing Convention on Judicial Sales of Ships.

The instrument, which entered into force on 17 February 2026, creates a harmonised and simplified system for the recognition of judicial sales of ships abroad, helping to ensure more predictable international trade.

The Beijing Convention was developed by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2022. It was introduced in response to a problem faced by bona fide ship buyers and financial institutions: after acquiring an asset, they could acquire claims from previous creditors or the risk of arrest of the ship in a foreign port.

According to the document, a judicial sale conducted in one State Party to the Convention is recognized by all States Parties. This gives the buyer “clean title”, free from prior debts or maritime claims, and gives new owners the assurance that their ship will not be arrested later in a foreign port. To ensure transparency, each State where the sale takes place must issue a notice and, where applicable, a certificate of judicial sale.

IMO plays a key role in the implementation, serving as a repository for these documents. They will be made public through a dedicated module on the IMO Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) platform, allowing all interested parties to easily access harmonised information on notices and certificates of judicial sales.

Previously, judicial sales of ships were governed by domestic legislation that varied considerably between States. The treaty thus represents a significant modernization that will reduce risks in ship transactions.

The convention applies when a sale by sea takes place in a contracting state and the ship is physically located in the territory of that state at the time of the sale. It entered into force on 17 February for Barbados, El Salvador and Spain, which have ratified it.

The document has been signed by 33 states, including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Honduras, Italy, Kiribati, Liberia, Libya, Luxembourg, Malta, Panama, São Tomé. and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the Syrian Arab Republic, the United Republic of Tanzania and the European Union.

USM previously reported that Madagascar had alerted the IMO about the exposure of a false flag scheme.