5. INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE ESTABLISH- 

 MENT OF AN INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR COMPEN- 

 SATION FOR OIL POLLUTION DAMAGE, DECEMBER 

 18, 1971. NOT IN FORCE'' 



Done at Brussels December 18^ 1971 ; Signed on hehalf of the United 

 States December 18, 1971. 



(Supplementary to the International Convention on Civil Liability 

 for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969) 



The States Parties to the present Convention, 



BEING PARTIES to the International Convention on Civil 

 Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, adopted at Brussels on 29 Novem- 

 ber 1969, 



CONSCIOUS of the dangers of pollution posed by the world-wide 

 maritime carriage of oil in bulk, 



CONVINCED of the need to ensure that adequate compensation 

 is available to persons who suffer damage caused by pollution resulting 

 from the escape or discharge of oil from ships, 



CONSIDERING that the International Convention of 29 No- 

 vember 1969, on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, by pro- 

 viding a regime for compensation for pollution damage in Contracting 

 States and for the costs of measures, wherever taken, to prevent or 

 minimize such damage, represents a considerable progress towards 

 the achievement of this aim, 



CONSIDERING HOWEVER that this regime does not afford 

 full compensation for victims of oil pollution damage in all cases 

 while it imposes an additional financial burden on shipowners, 



CONSIDERING FURTHER that the economic consequences of 

 oil pollution damage resulting from the escape or discharge of oil 

 carried in bulk at sea by ships should not exclusively be borne by the 

 shipping industry but should in part be borne by the oil cargo 

 interests, 



CONVINCED of the need to elaborate a compensation and in- 

 demnification system supplementary to the International Convention 

 on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage with a view to ensuring 

 that full compensation will be available to victims of oil pollution 

 incidents and that the shipowners are at the same time given relief 

 in respect of the additional financial burdens imposed on them by 

 the said Convention, 



* Source: 92d Congress, 2d session. Senate. Executive K. 

 Ratified by: Liberia, as of Dec. 31, 1974. 



(498) 



