Maritime history is littered with maritime casualties involving the loss of vessels, cargo, crew and often passengers. Since the first edition was published over 8 years ago, many serious maritime disasters have occurred.

The first edition of this book was quickly acclaimed as the new leading text worldwide on the law and practice of pollution from ships. The second edition deals with a variety of developments since then in this fast-moving subject: the Erika and the Prestige; changes in international law on maritime safety and compensation; latest decisions on claims for compensation; analysis of the SCOPIC regime; new material on ports of refuge, transboundary movements, and pollution from offshore craft; latest cases and regulatory changes in the US; and enlarged chapters on enforcement of laws and criminal sanctions. Like its predecessor, the second edition is superbly indexed and written clearly with the needs in mind of a wide international readership.

This book approaches limitation of liability from an international perspective looking at a number of key conventions including the global limitation conventions, the conventions relating to the carriage of passengers and their luggage by sea (1974 Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and Their Luggage by Sea and the 2002 Protocol thereto), conventions relating to liability and compensation for pollution damage (1969 International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage and the 1992 Protocol thereto, the 1996 International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea and the 2010 Protocol thereto, and the 2001 International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage), as well as the 2007 Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks.

This book deals with the liability conventions brought into existence by the International Maritime Organization and concentrates on the newly adopted instrument dealing with bunker oil pollution as an area of great concern for every stakeholder involved in shipping business. The work covers a wide spectrum ranging from the Convention itself to its scope of application, liable and aggrieved parties, jurisdiction, requirements of liability and admissibility of claims, defences and exoneration from liability. It addresses many areas of interest and of importance to international and national legal advisors, lawyers, law students and anyone interested in the relevant field such as shipowners, charterers, shipbrokers, ship personnel and associated contractors and sub-contractors.

There is an ever-present threat of catastrophic marine pollution incidents, as illustrated by recent disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Even small-scale accidental pollution discharges can have long-term consequences for marine and coastal resources. The UN Convention on the Law of Sea obliges all States to cooperate to prevent accidents and to minimize environmental damage during emergencies by jointly developing and implementing marine pollution contingency plans. The Asia-Pacific is one of the world’s busiest shipping regions, some of its mega-ports experience high rates of vessel congestion, and there are increasing numbers of offshore installations. Marine pollution prevention planning is thus vital for the region. Marine Pollution Contingency Planning: State Practice in Asia-Pacific States outlines and examines marine pollution contingency planning in Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, and the United States.

All of these flag States have the right to sail ships flying their flag on the high seas (LOSC Article 90) ; and those ships enjo y the freedom of navigation upon the high seas (LOSC Article 87) . W ith this freedom comes a concomitant duty upon the flag State to effectively exercise its jurisdiction and control in administrative , technical , social (LOSC Article 94 (1)) and en vironmental protection (LOSC Article 217) matters over ships flying its flag. 1.2 Flag State Responsibility The absence of any authority over ships sailing the high seas would lead to chaos. One of the essential adjuncts to the principle of freedom of the seas is that a ship must fly the flag of a single State and that it is subject to the jurisdiction of that State. (Brown 1994 , p. 287) This opinion of the International Law Commission in 1956 on a draft article of the High Seas Convention (HSC) was a product of its time; a time of traditional maritime States and responsible long-established shipping companies operating for 3 the most part under the effective maritime administrations of their national flag .