The unfortunate spate of oil tanker disasters last winter highlighted the increasingly serious problem of vesselsource oil pollution of the marine environment. Attention focused not only upon tanker construction and operation standards but also upon liability for clean-up costs and damages. Because present national and international regulatory mechanisms seem inadequate, both Congress and the Carter Administration are developing numerous reforms. Enactment of stronger financial liability laws appears to be likely this session of Congress, but it is still uncertain whether tanker design and operation standards will be tightened by new legislation or by new regulations under existing laws.