The role and development of global marine conventions: Two case histories

Two global conventions exist that address marine pollution. These are the London Dumping Convention and the MARPOL Convention, respectively. The former addresses direct disposal of waste into the sea, the latter ship-borne operations. Although both are administered by the International Maritime Organization, they are quite different in character. This paper describes their respective origins, content, management, achievements and problems. It is shown that both have enjoyed much success and influence. The authors conclude that valuable lessons can be derived from the experience gained from these Conventions over the past 20 years and that this experience could be applied to the development of future international conventions dealing with the marine environment.