Bunker convention
The union cabinet in India has approved the Ministry of Shipping’s proposal for India’s accession to the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001, (Bunker Convention) of the International Maritime Organisation[IMO]. The Bunker Convention ensures adequate, prompt, and effective compensation for damage caused by spills of oil, when carried as fuel in ships’ bunkers. The territorial jurisdiction for damage compensation extends to territorial sea and exclusive economic zones. It applies to an Indian vessel, wherever it is situated, and to a vessel carrying foreign flag while it is within Indian jurisdiction.