US Pollution Risks: Federal & State Summaries
The US Pollution Risks publication, recently published for its members by the UK P&I Club, compiles summaries of all the Federal and state requirements on liability, COFR requirements and vessel contingency plan requirements. Legal Briefings provide an overview of certain laws and regulations. The UK Club points out that while every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publication is only a guide and not a substitute for formal legal advice. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 established rigorous regulatory and liability controls to protect and clean up the marine environment from oil spills, including extensive provision to prevent the circumstances under which oil spills occur.
China Delegation Visits UK P&I Club
A delegation from Xiamen, China accompanied by the CEO of COSCO UK visit the London offices of Thomas Miller. The purpose of the visit by the delegation was to understand more of the shipping/insurance sectors in London and to foster good relations. The six-person Xiamen delegation was headed by its Vice Major, Mr Kang Tao together with Simon Yang (Shicheng), the CEO of COSCO UK. Xiamen is the second largest city in the Fujian province of China with a population of 4 million, and is the eighth largest container port in China and eighteenth in the world.
China’s Oil Pollution Laws Worth Watching
The UK P&I Club offered the following briefing on Chinese marine pollution law. Ship owners and operators trading in Chinese waters face an extensive set of new legal and regulatory requirements governing their roles and responsibilities in oil pollution incidents. China’s Prevention and Control of Marine Pollution from Ships Regulation was implemented on 1st March 2010. It dovetails with the Marine Environment Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, laying down the principles and outlining the country’s marine pollution legal system. However, the detailed requirements under the Regulation have yet to be revealed. Chinese ministries have other supplementary regulations in the pipeline, such as the management and funding of a ship oil pollution compensation fund.
