Cap. 493 Art. 6members Navy, who may officials of the other clearly of the United Authority of the members of the Department of authorized by the Authority of the service and or supporting 8. "Suspect respect of proliferation by 9. territorial sea, International law. 10. United States perform such Malta functions)

"Security Force Officials" means for:

a. the United States, uniformed or otherwise clearly identifiable of the United States Coast Guard and the United States be accompanied by clearly identifiable law enforcement Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, and identifiable officials duly authorized by the Government States of America and notified to the Competent Government of Malta; and b. Malta, uniformed or otherwise clearly identifiable Armed Forces of Malta, the Malta Police Force and the Customs, and other clearly identifiable officials duly Government of Malta and notified to the Competent United States. authorized to that effect, including any vessel and aircraft embarked on such vessels.

vessel" means a vessel used for commercial or private purposes in which there are reasonable grounds to suspect it is engaged in sea, as determined pursuant to Article 5 of this Agreement. "International waters" means all parts of the sea not included in the internal waters and archipelagic waters of a State, consistent with

"Competent Authority" means for the United States, the Commandant of the Coast Guard (including any officer designated by the Commandant to functions), and for Malta, the Commander of the Armed Forces of (including any officer designated by the Commander to perform such

Article 3 Cases of Suspected Vessels to paragraph 2 of this Article, operations to suppress proliferation to this Agreement shall be carried out only against suspect vessels:

having the nationality of one of the Parties and entitled to fly its flag, or registered under the law of one of the Parties under a bareboat charter, notwithstanding an underlying registration in another State not Party to Agreement, or without nationality or assimilated to vessels without nationality. operations shall not be carried out under this Agreement against registered under the law of one of the Parties while bareboat chartered in party to this Agreement. Article 4 Operations in and over National Waters

Agreement does not authorize the conduct of operations to suppress sea by one Party in and over the waters of the other Party.

Article 5 Operations in International Waters to Board Suspect Vessels. Whenever the Security Force Officials requesting Party") encounter a suspect vessel claiming nationality Party ("the requested Party") located in international waters, the may request through the Competent Authority of the requested confirm the claim of nationality of the suspect vessel; and nationality is confirmed: authorise the boarding and search of the suspect vessel, cargo, and persons found on board by Security Force Officials of the requesting Party; and actions the requesting Party is permitted to take items, persons and vessels. Each authorization to act shall be in writing between the Competent Nevertheless, in urgent circumstances, an authorization to act may by the Competent Authority of the requested Party. An oral authorization be confirmed in writing forthwith by the Competent Authority.