Circular issued by International Group clubs Entry into force of the Regulation (EC) No 392/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the Liability of Carriers of Passengers by Sea in the Event of Accidents (the "PLR") The PLR will apply in all European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) Member States [1] from 31 December 2012. The Regulation essentially gives effect to the key provisions of the Athens Convention Relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea, 1974 as amended by the 2002 Protocol (the "Convention"), together with the 2006 IMO Reservation and Guidelines for Implementation of the Convention covering war risks (the "Guidelines"). A significant feature of the PLR is that it extends the provisions of the Convention to certain categories of passenger ships engaged in domestic sea going voyages [2] , unless the Member State or EEA State takes steps to defer application of the Regulation to such voyages. It also adds a specific obligation to compensate for loss of or damage to mobility equipment and provides that the carrier shall make advance payment sufficient to cover immediate economic needs where the death of or personal injury to a passenger is caused by a shipping incident [3] as defined in the Convention. As of 28 August 2012, eight States have acceded to the Convention, which will enter into force twelve months after the tenth State has ratified/acceded. The Convention will therefore enter into force  after  the Regulation takes effect. It is possible that the Convention will enter into force in the 2013/14 policy year and, when it does so, there will be two distinct and separate regimes (the PLR and Athens Convention) in force and applicable. By virtue of the EEA Treaty, EEA States have an obligation to implement and apply the PLR by 31.12.2012. An update to Members will be issued closer to the time of entry into force of the Convention. Liability of the Carrier The PLR provides a li