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Compliance And Enforcement In International Law--Oil Pollution Of The Marine Environment By Ocean Vessels, Paul Stephen Dempsey

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The United Nations has responded to marine pollution by charging its specialized agency, the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization ("IMCO"), with the dual obligations of improving mari- time safety and preventing marine pollution. Yet, despite several major conventions intended to eliminate outmoded tanker designs and pollut- ing practices, oil spills and discharges continue. This article will address the question of compliance with and en- forcement of international agreements concerning oil pollution by tank- ers. In particular, it will analyze the enforcement and compliance records of maritime nations under the existing international legal re- gime-OILPOL. It will be demonstrated that the effectiveness …