§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the international conventions currently in place covering residual liability for defunct sea-based oil installations, indicating where the United Kingdom is a party. [33886]
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 21 June 1996]: I am not aware of any international conventions covering residual liability for redundant offshore installations.
However, the International Maritime Organisation guidelines and standards for the removal of offshore installations and structures on the continental shelf of 1989, made bearing in mind article 60(3) of the UN law of the sea convention of 1982, which the UK has not yet ratified, provide that the coastal state should ensure that legal title to installations and structures which have not been entirely removed from the sea-bed is unambiguous and that responsibility for maintenance and the financial ability to assume liability for future damages are clearly established.