Over 100 Chinese experts attending the 2002 Maritime Forum have called for the early introduction of measures to provide for compensation in the event of oil spills. The delegates were responding to the increasing number of such incidents.

Liu Gongcheng is vice-director of the Marine Bureau established under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications. He reported, "There have been 2,353 separate incidents of oil spillage on China's inland waters between 1976 and 2000. This averages one every four days and represents a total of some 30,000 tons."

It is expected that the task of preventing oil spills will become much tougher in the future. Si Yuzuo is well known as an expert in maritime law. He said, "Oil imports have been increasing significantly since 1993 when China changed from being an oil-exporting country to a net importer of oil. China now ranks third in the world after the USA and Japan in the movement of oil. In addition there are now many privately owned oil tankers operating on China's inland waters. Latent problems could well reside at this low end of the market."

Liu Hong is engaged in research for the Science Academy operating under the Ministry of Communications. Wu Weinan is vice-president of the Guangzhou Admiralty Court. Together they described methods presently available to tackle oil pollution as labour intensive and lacking technological support. Capital investment is required if China is to be made ready to face a major oil spillage.

Wu Xianji, director of the Shenzhen Marine Bureau, said, "International standards for dealing with the effects of oil spills are based on sound mechanisms for claiming and determining levels of compensation. Their existence acts as a deterrent and so is effective in reducing the number of incidents."

China's Marine Environment Protection Law sets out the principles on which compensation for damage caused by oil spills is to be based. Now WTO entry is in place it will be necessary for China's oil pollution prevention measures to fall into line with international practice.

(china.org.cn by Tang Fuchun, August 27, 2002)