Introduction - Prevention of Pollution of the Marine Environment from Vessels - page 9

Table 1.1 Major marine pollution issues and some existing IMO instruments
Marine environmental
issue Major IMO instruments
Oil pollution MARPOL Annex I, OPRC Convention and Intervention
Convention
Chemicals pollution SOLAS Chapter VII, MARPOL Annex II, IMDG Code and OPRC-
HNS Protocol and Intervention Protocol 1973
Pollution by garbage MARPOL Annex V
Pollution by sewage MARPOL Annex IV
Air pollution MARPOL Annex VI
Greenhouse gas emissions MARPOL Annex VI
Protraction of sensitive
sea areas

PSSA Resolution A.982(24)

Dumping of wastes and
other matter

London Convention

Transfer of invasive
species

BWM Convention

Harmful anti-fouling
systems

AFS Convention

Pollution by shipbreaking Hong Kong Convention
Compensation of marine
pollution

Civil Liability (CLC) Convention, Fund Convention, HNS Con-
vention and Nairobi WRC

IMO ' s initiative for achieving these goals should be considered in the broader
context of IMO ' s mandate, its role as a specialised agency of the United Nations
responsible for providing machinery for co-operation among governments in the
field of prevention and control of marine pollution from ships, and its special role
under the UNCLOS. 41 The adoption of the UNCLOS in 1982 elaborated upon the
duties and jurisdiction of States with respect to all major sources of marine
pollution. It addressed six main sources of ocean pollution: land-based and coastal
activities, continental shelf drilling, potential seabed mining, ocean dumping,
vessel-source pollution, and pollution from or through the atmosphere. 42 UNCLOS
is largely regarded as a

Its marine environmental pro-
visions are general in nature and must be implemented by detailed, specialised legal
instruments. In this regard, UNCLOS created a very important role for IMO for the
prevention of vessel-source marine pollution. IMO

framework convention.

' '

s role and mandate under
UNCLOS will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter.

'

41 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, opened for signature 10 December 1982, 1833
UNTS 3 (entered into force 16 November 1994) (hereinafter UNCLOS).
42 See generally, Boyle ( 1985 ), Charney ( 1995 ), Kimball ( 1995 ), and McConnell and Gold ( 1991 ).