Article 3

1. A Contracting Party may not allow a vessel to be registered in its registers unless at least one of the following conditions is fulfilled:

(a) the place from which the operation of the vessel is habitually directed must be situated in the territory of the said Contracting Party;

(b) where the owner of the vessel is an individual, he must be a national of, or habitually resident in, the territory of the said Contracting Party;

(c) where the owner of the vessel is a body corporate, or a commercial company, its registered office or principal place of business management must be situated in the territory of the said Contracting Party - subject to the proviso, however, that conditions (b) and (c) above shall not be deemed to be fulfilled in respect of a jointly-owned vessel unless the individuals or bodies corporate fulfilling these conditions hold not less than a half-share in the ownership of the vessel.

2. Each Contracting Party undertakes to require, subject to the provisions of article 4, paragraphs 1 and 2, of this Convention, every vessel fulfilling the conditions prescribed by its laws, in conformity with the provisions of paragraph 1 of this article, for the acceptance of a vessel for registration to be registered in its registers. This undertaking on the part of the Contracting Parties shall not, however, apply either to cargo vessels having a dead-weight of less than 20 metric tons or to other vessels having a displacement of less than 10 cubic metres.

3. Each Contracting Party agrees to take the necessary steps to make it impossible for a vessel to be registered simultaneously in more than one of its registers.

This provision shall not, however, preclude the establishment of central registers in which local registration entries are reproduced.