Answer
When a surveyor asks this, they are testing whether you understand the legal instruments governing marine casualties, environmental pollution, and wreck removal—all of which are administered under Part IX of the Indian Merchant Shipping Act, 2025.
The four primary maritime conventions built on the backbone of strict liability are:
1. The CLC Convention
Full Name: International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (1992 CLC)
What it covers: Spills of persistent hydrocarbon mineral oil (such as crude oil, heavy fuel oil, and lubricating oil) originating from laden tankers. It also covers unladen tankers on their return voyage if they have oil residues on board.
Who is strictly liable: The Registered Shipowner at the time of the incident.
Kolkata MMD Exam Focus: It handles the first "tier" of oil tanker spill compensation. If the damages exceed the shipowner’s strict liability limits, the IOPC Fund (International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund) steps in as the second tier.
2. The Bunkers Convention
Full Name: International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (2001)
What it covers: Spills of bunker fuel from any ship other than an oil tanker (e.g., container ships, bulk carriers, cruise liners, or tankers in ballast). It addresses the heavy fuel oil (HFO) or marine gas oil (MGO) used strictly for the propulsion and operation of the vessel.
Who is strictly liable: Unlike the CLC, this convention casts a wider net to ensure governments can recover clean-up costs. It places joint and several strict liability on the Shipowner, Registered Owner, Bareboat Charterer, Manager, and Operator of the ship.
3. The Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention
Full Name: Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wreck (2007)
What it covers: The costs of locating, marking, and removing a ship that has become a wreck in the State's Convention Area (typically extending up to the Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ). A wreck is defined as a sunken or stranded ship, or any part of it, that poses a hazard to navigation or the marine environment.
Who is strictly liable: The Registered Shipowner.
4. The HNS Convention
Full Name: International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea (2010 HNS Protocol)
What it covers: Pollution, fire, and explosion damages caused by chemicals, liquefied gases (LNG/LPG), packaged dangerous goods, and bulk solids that pose chemical hazards. It goes beyond environmental damage to cover loss of life and personal injury.
Who is strictly liable: The Registered Shipowner (First Tier), which is supplemented by a secondary HNS Fund financed by cargo receivers.
MEO Class 1 Note: Under the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) enforces compulsory insurance verification for vessels carrying these substances in Indian waters, preparing for international alignment.
The 4 Shared Pillars of These Conventions
The surveyor might ask: "What makes all these strict liability conventions work similarly in practice?" Every single one of these frameworks relies on the exact same structural setup:
Strict Liability: The claimant does not need to prove fault or negligence. Proof of the incident and resulting damage is enough.
Compulsory Insurance: Ships over a certain size (e.g., greater than 1,000 GT under the Bunkers and Wreck Conventions) must maintain third-party liability insurance—typically through an International Group (IG) P&I Club.
Direct Action: Affected parties can bypass the shipowner entirely and legally sue the insurer (the P&I Club) directly for compensation.
Limitation of Liability: To keep the maritime industry insurable, the shipowner's financial exposure is capped based on the ship's Gross Tonnage (GT) using Special Drawing Rights (SDR), unless it is proven that the owner caused the damage deliberately.