Clause 1 - Power to give effect to revisions of the international arrangements relating to compensation for oil pollution from ships
Merchant Shipping (Pollution) Bill [Lords]
10:45 am
Stephen Ladyman (Minister of State, Department for Transport; South Thanet, Labour)
Clause 1 is concerned solely with liabilities that are governed by international laws, and specifically the strict liability of the shipowner for pollution damage caused by persistent oil, whatever the cause. In most cases, the shipowner is able to limit his liability and must also obtain insurance to meet that limit. There are no offences for causing pollution in the underlying civil liability convention, the existing UK provisions implementing the oil pollution compensation regime or the supplementary fund protocol. The only offences required under the regime are already in place and concern failure to carry evidence of insurance or failure to report annual oil receipts for the purpose of calculating contributions to the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund or the supplementary fund. The offences that the hon. Gentleman describes are not appropriate to the Bill and offences for penalising people are out of its scope.