96 



great economic factors in the operation of vessels. One is the insur- 

 ance that can be obtained for these vessels, and the other is whether 

 these vessels are permitted in the ports which they would like to serve. 



Through the IIMCO conventions, and thi-ough regulations set down 

 for pollution control, vessels not being certified will not be able to call 

 at ports of signatory states, and when the older vessels are inspected 

 and found not to contain certain safety and pollution controls, they 

 will not be allowed to call, and you will find a decrease in their pres- 

 ence on the high seas. 



Senator Stevens. Is that true, or are they just going to go into the 

 back waters of the world, and are we going to export our liabilities to 

 the emerging nations ? 



]\Ir. Bank. We are doing all we can to have the emerging nations 

 join with the more traditional maritime states to become parties to 

 the IMCO safety and pollution standards. 



I cannot say. Senator, that they will not find their way into the 

 back waters of the world, but as the Avorld becomes more aware of 

 pollution problems and more of the developing states recognize that 

 it is their problem as well as our problem, they will become parties 

 to IINIOO conventions, and the presence of these vessels on the high 

 seas will diminish. 



Senator Stevens. The Florida Supreme Court decision upholding 

 the tough law with regard to pollution, has that been raised in your 

 dialog at all ? 



Mr. Salmon. Not that we know of, sir, not in the international 

 forums. 



Mr. Bank. If I may say, Senator, we do get some questioning of 

 it, naturally, on an informal basis. There still is a desire to wait and 

 see how the Florida regulations, which I believe will be issued within 

 the next week or two, will have an effect. 



Senator Stevens. You mentioned the law of the sea confei-ence, 

 and Senator Rollings and I are going to visit that. Are you satisfied 

 with the preliminary draft work that has been done to try to assert 

 through the law of the sea conference these new standards for vessel 

 pollution? 



INIr. Salmon. If I may turn to Mr. Leitzell for a more complete 

 answer; as I stated in my testimony, we need to spend a great deal 

 more time on marine pollution. I think the approach of IMCO is 

 designed to cope with the issue raised. 



INIr. Leitzell. I might just add. Senator, that there has been, over 

 the past 6 months, a greater degree of coordination within the I \S. 

 Government between our activities in IMCO and in the law of the 

 sea negotiations, because we are beginning to realize interrelation- 

 ships, especially those on the questions of standards for vessel pollu- 

 tion control. 



For instance, we have two meml>ers of the law of the sea task 

 foi'ce on the delocration to the IMCO council. Several of us are work- 

 ing with the IINICO task group which is preparing the I"''.S. position 

 to the October conference. We will have people who have been directly 

 involved in IMCO work on our delegation to the Seabed Committee 

 this summer, and several of the Seabed Committee members on tlio 

 October conference delegation. 



