Offshore Pollution Liability Agreement Opol

7.2.1.2 Application to Offshore-Related Risks

This remarkable book - the first in-depth examination of the civil liability regime for marine oil pollution damage from a law and economics perspective - examines the efficiency and effectiveness of the regime, with particular attention to whether it is in fact designed in the public interest or merely a distribution of risks and costs among interested parties. The question is asked: does the liability system give the potential polluter incentives to take precautionary measures to avoid pollution or to reduce the possibility of pollution? The international regime on civil liability for marine oil pollution rests on the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC) and the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (Fund Convention). However, the world's biggest oil consumer and importer - the United States - has ratified neither, preferring its own Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), and China - currently the world's second oil-consuming country - has not ratified the Fund Convention. Thus it is reasonable to compare the three regimes - international, US, and China - as such a comparative study may reveal some advantages or disadvantages among the three systems. Among the issues raised and tackled head-on by the author are the following: whether the contents of international conventions can be considered as the result of the influence of the various interest groups involve; overview of the regulations of marine pollution; technical standards, rules for operation, professional criteria; to what extent a state may take action against trans-boundary polluting activities; what liability a state may incur for non-action or non-effective action; significance for liability of the charter-party, generally considered the evidence of the hire of a ship, and the bill of lading, considered the evidence of the contract of carriage of goods by sea; the crucial role of the so-called 'International Group' of 13 Protection and Indemnity (P and I) Clubs, non-profit organizations specializing in liability insurance; the main international players - the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Comit? Maritime International (CMI), and industry organizations such as INTERTANKO and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF); the particular regime on offshore facility pollution liability in the United States; port state control; criminal liability; and EU and other regional initiatives. In addition, a detailed study of the Erika case reveals some of the rationale for many of the persistent features of marine pollution liability regimes. The well-thought-out legal and economic analysis provided in this book, along with its clearly stated policy recommendations and constructive perspectives for future development of the liability system, will be immeasurably valuable to lawyers and policymakers active in this highly visible area of international law.

Despite widely-accepted international systems of liability for pollution damage to the marine environment, uniformity is far from being achieved. This book is based on the papers delivered at the CMI seminar on liability for pollution damage. The purpose of the seminar was to take stock of the legal position worldwide as a prelude to discussions on unification of laws relating to the admissibility and assessment of claims. Among the main issues addressed are - oil pollution prevention and response, the effectiveness of present compensation methods, the importance of recent protocols to the compensation conventions, the ramifications of OPA 90, the underwriting of oil pollution risks and the need for an international convention on hazardous and noxious substances. These issues are covered by a broad range of international experts.

This book discusses in a concise manner the key aspects that are important for the understanding of regulations and managerial framework governing marine pollution. It identifies the practical context in which marine pollution comes into play and addresses the international legal regime governing the numerous sources of marine pollution, as well as the ways in which these regulations affect the conduct of day-to-day shipping operations. With illustrations, case studies, emphasis boxes, references to case law and to national jurisdictions and other tools facilitating understanding and knowledge, readers will find helpful guidance on: the sources of marine pollution (including ship-source pollution and pollution from the offshore oil and gas sector); the forms of cooperation needed in order to tackle the prevention, management and response to marine pollution; overview of MARPOL Convention, other key IMO conventions, and selected regional regimes; legal ramifications, including P & I Clubs and limitation of liability; involvement of the flag State, coastal State and port State; industry best practice; the human element Marine Pollution Control will be a useful guidance tool for shipping Industry professionals, (P & I) Clubs, Legal practitioners, maritime administrators, as well as academics and students of marine pollution.

Written by a team of top academics and highly-experienced legal practitioners, this is a very complex area of law. It provides both a critical analysis on contemporary legal issues concerning offshore contracts, and an in-depth account of the numerous liability regimes inherently connected to offshore operations. Key features of Offshore Contracts and Liabilities: Detailed insight into contemporary legal issues concerning offshore contracts, including Supplytime and Heavycon In-depth analysis of the current liability regimes with clear reference to contemporary industry practice Thorough examination of the current state of the law from national, regional and international perspectives Up-to-date coverage of hot topics such as liability for offshore installations, knock-for knock agreements in offshore contracts and recently-developed new standard forms, such as Windtime. This book is an indispensable guide for legal practitioners, academics and industry professionals worldwide

The International Max Planck Research School for Maritime Affairs hosted a global conference addressing marine pollution. At this meeting, academics and practitioners came together to discuss their findings and debate recent developments from an interdisciplinary perspective. This volume reflects those discussions, examining a broad range of topics concerning the ecological, economic, political, and legal aspects of the pollution of the sea.