Pollution at Sea
2
LIABILITY FOR POLLUTION FROM SHIPS’ BUNKERS
LIABILITY FOR POLLUTION FROM SHIPS’ BUNKERS
Colin de la Rue1INTRODUCTION
The international regime of compensation for oil pollution from ships, as established by the Civil Liability and Fund Conventions, applies only to pollution from oil tankers. Bunker spills can of course occur not only from tankers but from a wide variety of other vessels. To deal with these incidents, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) adopted in 2001 the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage. In 2007, the necessary number of ratifications was reached for the convention to enter into force one year later, on 21 November 2008.2