Assessing the Marine Environment for Compensation after a Ship-source Oil Spill has Occurred

The International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) was established in 1971, in order to minimize the externalities of the marine shipping industry. The IOPC Funds provide financial compensation for oil pollution damage that occurs in Member States, resulting from spills of persistent oil from tankers. Since their establishment the Funds have been involved in 149 incidents of varying sizes around the world. Canada is a Member State to the IOPC Funds, and the current approach the IOPC Funds take to evaluating environmental damage for compensation after a ship-source oil spill has occurred is the subject of controversy, leading some critics to assert that the current approach Canada takes to assessing environmental damage caused by ship-source oil spills is limited (Wang & Faure, 2008, Amos & Miron, 2013). In order to address this assertion, this research will explore the challenges associated with assessing environmental damage in the case of ship-source oil spills, and examine the current compensation scheme in Canada. This research will also explore alternatives to the current Canadian scheme that could be of interest to the tanker safety discourse in Canada.

Faculty Supervisor:

Aldo Chircop

Student:

Kayla Glynn

Partner:

Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping Society

Discipline:

Law

Sector:

Management of companies and enterprises

University:

Dalhousie University