Full steam ahead

Caroline Dorward , of DLA Piper, considers the new marine pollution rules in the UK.

The Merchant Shipping (Pollution) Act 2006 received Royal Assent on 30 March 2006. Section 1 of the Act provides for the UK to implement the Supplemental Fund Protocol to the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage 1992, which extends the current regimes for compensation for pollution damage caused by spills from oil tankers. This article will look at the main points of this new protocol.