Limitations of 1992CLC/FC and enactment of the Special Law on M/V Hebei Spirit incident in Korea

Since the adoption of the 1969CLC and the 1971FC, the international oil-spill compensation regime has improved compensation for loss and damage caused by tanker oil spills. However, this regime has inherent limitations, such as protracted compensation payments and controversies over the scope and type of economic losses, including environmental damages, and the cost of environmental restoration. Therefore, given large oil-spill incidents, such as the Erika, Prestige, and Hebei Spirit, each government, respectively, has addressed compensation by enacting special laws or establishing domestic programs. This article contains a historical and legal analysis of the Hebei Spirit incident and discusses the limitations and necessary improvements to the international oil-spill compensation regime.