184 



greater protection from oil pollution now while the new agreement is 

 being adopted internationally, a procedure which unfortunately may 

 take several years. 



We also ap]>ear in support of S. 1070, implementing legislation for 

 the Intervention Convention which was approved by the Senate on 

 September 20, 1971. Adopted in 1969, this convention was prompted 

 by the 1967 Torrey Canyon disaster whicli highlighted a gap in inter- 

 national law with regard to major jjollution accidents on the high seas. 



To date, 9 of the required 15 countries have ratified this convention, 

 which permits a coastal nation to take necessary steps to prevent, miti- 

 gate, or eliminate the tlireat of damage to its shoreline when the threat 

 occurs beyond that nation's territorial sea. 



The steam ship companies represented by AIMS believe that the 

 authority to take action on the high seas, given by this convention and 

 the implementing legislation, is desiraljle. In otlier words, the industry 

 itself is supporting tlie right of the Government to go so far as to 

 destroy a ship that creates an imminent threat to the ecology of a 

 nation. 



We also believe that the safeguards incorporated in this agreement 

 are sufficient to protect the interests of the shipowner in the event 

 that the intervening nation causes unnecessary damage to a vessel. 



No discussion of oil pollution would be complete without attention 

 to the shipowner liability and damage claim mechanism which would 

 be set up internationally with adoption of the Civil Liability Con- 

 vention and the Oil Compensation Fund. 



These conventions would be implemented domestically by S. 841, a 

 bill also pending before this committee. Together, they offer the best 

 protection possible for victims of oil ]:)ollution damage without bring- 

 ing a halt to ocean transportation of oil needed by this country. 



Tlie fund supplements the $15-million liability of the shipowner 

 in case of an oil spill by collecting $?j2.4 million (which will increase 

 to $16.8 million liability and a $36-million fund as soon as the dollar 

 devaluation bill becomes law) in contributions from oil receivers. The 

 fund would pay out uncollectable damages owed under the Liability 

 Convention, as well as damages not covered by that convention, leaving 

 a defense only for acts of war. In addition, the fund would be avail- 

 able in the case of a vessel which causes pollution damage to our land 

 or territorial seas but is outside the jurisdiction of this country or 

 any of its States. 



Prompt action by the United States would go a long way toward 

 bringing this oil pollution compensation mechanism into effect inter- 

 nationally, a goal that could easily be achieved next year, according 

 to estimates by the State Department. 



ISIr. Chairman, this completes our testimony on the specific items 

 presently under consideration. With your permission, I should now 

 like to make a brief statement of our industry's views on the uses of 

 the oceans and on the need for strong, effective, uniform interna- 

 tional standards that will insure the ]:>roper ]irotection of the environ- 

 ment and that will enable the steamship industry to continue provid- 

 ing the services on which mankind is so reliant. 



As you know, two major dijilomatic conferences affecting the use 

 of the ocean by vessels ai-e to be held within the next 13 months. The 

 first, which I have already mentioned briefly, is the Conference on 



