502 



450 million francs. The changed amount shall apply to incidents 

 which occur after the date of the decision effecting the change. 



7. The Fund shall, at the request of a Contracting State, use its 

 good offices as necessary to assist that State to secure promptly such 

 personnel, material and services as are necessary to enable the State 

 to take measures to j)rcvent or mitigate ])ollution damage arising from 

 an incident in respect of which the Fund may be called upon to pay 

 compensation under this Convention. 



8. The Fund may on conditions to be laid down in the Internal 

 Regulations provide credit facilities with a view to the taking of 

 ]:>reveutive measures against pollution damage arising from a i)articular 

 incident in respect of which the Fund may be called U[)on to pay 

 compensation under this Convention. 



Article 5 



1. For the purpose of fulfdling its function under Article 2, para- 

 graph 1(b), the Fund shall indemnify the owner and his guarantor for 

 that i)ortion of the aggregate amount of liability under the Liability 

 Convention which: 



(a) is in excess of an amount equivalent to 1,500 francs for 

 each ton of the ship's tonnage or of an amount of 125 million, 

 francs, whichever is the less, and 



(b) is not in excess of an amount equivalent to 2,000 francs for 

 each ton of the said tonnage or an amount of 210 million francs, 

 whichever is the less, 



provided, however, that the Fund shall incur no obligation under this- 

 paragraph where the pollution damage resulted from the willful 

 misconduct of the owner himself. 



2. The Assembly may decide that the Fund shall, on conditions to 

 be laid down in the Internal Regulations, assume the obligations of a 

 guarantor in res]>ect of shijis referred to in Article 3, paragraph 2, 

 with regard to the portion of liability referred to in paragraph 1 of 

 this Article. However, the Fund shall assume such obligations only 

 if the owner so requests and if he maintains adequate insurance or 

 other financial security covering the owner's liability under the Lia- 

 bility Convention up to an amount equivalent to 1,500 francs for each 

 ton of the ship's tonnage or an amount of 125 million francs, which- 

 ever is the less. If the Fund assumes such obligations, the owner shall 

 in each Contracting State be considered to have complied with Article 

 VII of the Liability Convention in respect of the portion of his liability 

 mentioned above. 



3. The Fund may be exonerated wholly or partially from its obliga- 

 tions under paragraph 1 towards the owner and his guarantor if the 

 Fund proves that as a result of the actual fault or i)rivity of the owner: 



(a) the ship from which the oil causing the ])ollution damage 

 escai)ed did not comply with the requirements laid down in: 



(i) the International Convention for the Prevention of 

 Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954, as amended in 1962 ; or 



(ii) the International Convention for the Safety of Life at 

 Sea, 1960; or 



(iii) the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966; or 



