Marine legislation needs urgent improvement - WWF-SA

WWF-SA's senior marine programme manager, John Duncan explains, "The Seli 1 which ran aground off Dolphin Beach, near Blouberg in September 2009, is a relevant example of why this legislation needs to be passed as soon as possible. This is particularly true, given the significant threats from shipping accidents."

Mitigating disaster

The CLC and Fund Convention were developed to allow member states to access international funds to help mitigate the disastrous effects of oil pollution from marine shipping accidents. "Passing these conventions into local legislation will allow South Africa to claim up to R10 billion in compensation for damage from oil spills," Duncan adds.

"While the CLC and Fund Convention have been ratified by South Africa, we do not have access to these funds because we have yet to enact these conventions into domestic law - despite the draft bills having been prepared almost eight years ago. This means we are financially unprepared to deal with any major oil-spill disaster. Currently, the South African public need to foot the bill for clean-up costs," says Duncan.

Duncan says that with the increased traffic in global shipping, the risk of oil spills in our territorial waters must be seen as a growing threat. He concludes, "It will not help to close the stable door once the horse has bolted."

For further information, go to www.wwf.org.za.