Liability and compensation for oil pollution damage : texts of the 1992 Conventions and the Supplementary Fund Protocol

Abstract

Compensation for oil pollution damage caused by spills from oil tankers is governed by an international regime developed under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The framework for the regime was originally the 1969 International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (1969 Civil Liability Convention) and the 1971 International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (1971 Fund Convention). This ‘old’ regime was amended in 1992 by two Protocols, and the amended Conventions are known as the 1992 Civil Liability Convention and the 1992 Fund Convention. The 1992 Conventions entered into force on 30 May 1996. The 1971 Fund Convention ceased to be in force on 24 May 2002, when the number of 1971 Fund Member States fell below 25.