An Analytical and Critical Analysis of International Instruments Governing Liability and Compensation of Oil Pollution Caused by Maritime Transport

Oil is one of the most important environmental pollutants which is mostly transported across the sea. The marine environment is always at risk of contamination. Given the incidents that occurred during recent years, global society gradually developed and approved international instruments to address the issue of offshore oil pollution liability and compensation for relevant damages. At the same time, some instruments are approved which require compliance with the standards whether in transport or on ships and their agents and try to prevent accidents or collaborate to mitigate the harmful effects. In this paper, in addition to the classification and introduction of international instruments in this field, it has been tried to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of these instruments and compare them. The 1969 Convention on Civil Liability is extremely important in this regard because many of the instruments that have been approved after this date while maintaining its principles are more to complete its shortcomings.