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

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).

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.

! Signed

! Deposited

! Method

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (M)<br /> (L)<br /> (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (W)

| Accession

|-

|

|

| (W)<br /> (M)<br /> (L)

| Succession from

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (W)

| Accession

|-

|

| (M)

| (M)

| Ratified as the

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (W)

| (M)<br /> (L)<br /> (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (W)

| Succession from

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, W)<br /> (M)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (M)<br /> (W)<br /> (L)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (M)

| Accession

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (L, M, W)

| Accession

|-

|

|

| (W)

| Accession

|-

|

|

| (M, W)

| Accession

|-

|

|

| (M)

| Accession

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M)<br /> (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (W)<br /> (L)<br /> (M)

| Succession from

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L)<br /> (M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (M)<br /> (W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (M)

| Accession

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (L, M, W)

| Accession

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, W)<br /> (M)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (M)

| (M)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, W)

| (L, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, W)<br /> (M)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (W)<br /> (M)<br /> (L)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, W)

| (L, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, W)<br /> (M)

| (L)<br /> (M)<br /> (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (L)<br /> (W)<br /> (M)

| Accession

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (M)

| Accession

|-

|

|

| (L, W)<br /> (M)

| Accession

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)<br /> (L)<br /> (M)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (L, M, W)

| Accession

|-

|

| (L, M)

| (M)<br /> (L)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (M)<br> (L)

| Succession from

|-

|

| (M, W)<br /> (L)

| (L)<br /> (W)<br /> (M)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (M, W)<br /> (L)

| (L)<br /> (M)<br /> (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M)<br /> (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (L)

| Accession

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (L, M, W)

| Accession

|-

|

|

| (L)

| Accession

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratified as the

|-

|

| (W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (W)

| Accession

|-

|

|

| (L)

| Succession from

|-

|

|

| (M)

| Accession

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (L, M)

| Succession from

|-

|

|

| (L)<br /> (M)<br /> (W)

| Accession

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (W)<br /> (L)<br /> (M)

| Succession from

|-

|

|

| (L)<br /> (W)

| Succession from

|-

|

|

| (L)

| Succession from

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)<br /> (L)<br /> (M)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (L, M, W)

| Accession

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (W)

| (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (M)<br /> (L)<br /> (W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (W)<br /> (L)<br /> (M)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (M)

| (M)

| Ratified as the

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

| (L, M, W)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (M)

| Accession as the

|-

|

| (M)

| (M)

| Ratification

|-

|

|

| (L)<br /> (W)<br /> (M)

| Accession

|}

;Notes

State with limited recognition, abiding by treaty

The Republic of China (Taiwan), which is currently only recognized by , 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".

{| class="wikitable"

! State

! Signed

! Deposited

! Method

|-

|

|

|

| Ratification

|}

States that have signed but not ratified

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! State

! Signed

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

|-

|

| (M, W)

|-

|

| (W)

|-

|

| (M)

|-

|

| (W)

|-

|

| (W)

|-

|

| (W)

|-

|

| (L)<br /> (M)<br /> (W)

|-

|

| (M, W)

|-

|

| (W)

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

|-

|

| (W)

|-

|

| (W)

|-

|

| (W)<br /> (M)

|-

|

| (L, M, W)

|-

|

| (W)

|-

|

| (W)

|-

|

| (L)<br /> (M)<br /> (W)

|-

|

| (L)<br /> (M)

|-

|

| (W)

|-

|

| (W)

|}

Non-signatory states

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

See also

  • International Seabed Authority
  • Seabed warfare
  • <small></small>

References

  • 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