The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil (OILPOL) was an International

Treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations An international organization or international o ...

signed in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 12 May 1954 (OILPOL 54). It was updated in 1962 (OILPOL 62), 1969 (OILPOL 69), and 1971 (OILPOL 71). OILPOL was subsumed by the

International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978, or "MARPOL 73/78" is one of the most important international marine environmental conventions. MARPOL 73/78, MARPOL is an amalg ...

(MARPOL) in 1973. Since 1959, OILPOL is administered and promoted by the

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...

(IMO), which states:

Great Barrier Reef incident

On 3 March 1970, the

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

n crude oil tanker ''Oceanic Grandeur'' struck an uncharted rock in

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

while en route from

Dumai Dumai ( Jawi: , ), is a city in Riau province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The city has an area of 1,727.38 km2 and had 253,803 inhabitants at the 2010 census, 285,448 at the 2015 census and 316,782 at the 2020 census. Dumai has a d ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. The incident resulted in a significant spill. Due to concern about the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

, amendments in OILPOL 71 were provided to extend the restricted zone to the Great Barrier Reef.

References

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External links

International Maritime Organization OILPOL
Treaties of Argentina Treaties of Australia Treaties of the Bahamas Treaties of Chile Treaties of Fiji Treaties of Germany Treaties of Israel Treaties of Italy Treaties of Liberia Treaties of Panama Treaties of Poland Treaties of Portugal Treaties of Saudi Arabia Treaties of Tunisia Treaties of the Soviet Union Treaties of the United Kingdom Treaties of the United States 1954 in the environment 1962 in the environment 1969 in the environment 1970 in the environment 1971 in the environment