The Marine Environment Protection Committee, at its thirty-third session, agreed that a new section V of the IMO Manual on Oil Pollution, dealing with administrative aspects and, in particular, with the roles and functions of entities that could be involved in an oil pollution emergency and its aftermath, should be developed. The present text is a revision of the first edition of the Manual, published in 1998, taking into account changes and new information on the topic since the original version.

Part I – Roles and functions of entities which could be involved in an oil pollution emergency and its aftermath

Chapter 1 – The shipowner

Chapter 2 – The ship operator

Chapter 3 – The master

Chapter 4 – The cargo owner

Chapter 5 – The flag State

Chapter 6 – The coastal State

Chapter 7 – The salvors

Chapter 8 – The liability insurer

Part II – Compensation for oil pollution damage

Chapter 9 – Outline

Chapter 10 – The International Compensation Regime

Chapter 11 – Recovery of compensation

Appendices

Appendix 1 – Chapter IX of the Annex to the 1974 SOLAS Convention, as amended

Appendix 2 – Resolution MEPC.138(53)

Appendix 3 – Lloyd’s Standard Form of Salvage Agreement LOF 2000

Appendix 4 – International Group of P&I Clubs

Appendix 5 – Extract from the 1992 Fund’s Claims Manual – April 2005 Edition

Appendix 6 – Resolution A.983(24)

Appendix 7 – SCOPIC Clause

This section of the Manual on Oil Pollution is intended to provide the reader, in particular on-scene commanders, lead agencies and others involved in the management of oil pollution response, with an appreciation of the various interests involved in an oil pollution emergency and its aftermath, as well as a general review of the international legal regimes governing limitation of liability and compensation for oil pollution damage. This section is not intended to provide an authorized or definitive commentary on the legal relationships between the various entities involved in an oil pollution emergency or an interpretation of relevant international conventions.

The reference section includes sources of more comprehensive information on these subjects, and the reader is encouraged to make use of them if more detailed information is required.

As a specialised agency of the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. Its main role is to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective, universally adopted and universally implemented.

In other words, its role is to create a level playing field so that ship operators cannot address their financial issues by simply cutting corners and compromising on safety, security and environmental performance. This approach also encourages innovation and efficiency.

Shipping is a truly international industry, and it can only operate effectively if the regulations and standards are themselves agreed, adopted and implemented on an international basis. And IMO is the forum at which this process takes place.

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