Civil Liability for Pollution Damage Caused by Fuel Oil in Ships' Bunkers Enters Into Force on November 21, 2008.

From IMO, a reminder to shipowners and ships' personnel...

Pollution damage from fuel oil carried on ships will be covered in 2008.

The last significant gap in the international regime for compensating victims of oil spills from ships is set to be closed, with the entry into force on 21 November 2008 of an international treaty covering liability and compensation for pollution damage caused by spills of oil, when carried as fuel in ships' bunkers. Current regimes covering oil spills do not include bunker oil spills from vessels other than tankers.
Criteria for entry into force of the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001 were met on 21 November 2007, following accession to the treaty by Sierra Leone.
The Convention was adopted in 2001 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
Under the terms of the Convention, it enters into force one year after the date on which 18 States, including five States with ships whose combined gross tonnage is not less than 1 million, have ratified it. With the accession by Sierra Leone, the Bunkers Convention has been ratified by 18 States, with a combined gross tonnage of 114,484,743, representing 15.86 per cent of world merchant shipping tonnage.