Dispute resolution in oil pollution cases: Are there alternatives to litigation in national courts?

Following the grounding of the tanker Torrey Canyon off the south coast of England in 1967 which caused massive pollution in England and also affected France, the

international community started to address issues of liability and compensation for

pollution damage caused by tanker oil spills. In 1969 a Diplomatic Conference held

under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization adopted the International

Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (1969 Civil Liability

Convention). As a complement to that Convention, a second Convention was adopted

in 1971, the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund

for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (1971 Fund Convention).