An important development in international environmental law was announced recently by the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. In April 1975, IMCO revealed that the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage¹ now has been ratified by the required number of nations to bring that treaty into operation.

The "Civil Liability Convention" (or "Liability Convention") will enter into force on June 19, 1975, and immediately will govern claims for vessel-source oil pollution damage among many nations which register large fleets of oil tankers or which possess coastlines vulnerable to tanker oil spills. The following nations had ratified or acceded to the Liability Convention as of April 16, 1975: the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Norway, Liberia, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco, Fiji, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Syria.² Representatives of 29 nations, including the United States, have signed the Liability Convention. Since most signatory powers probably will ratify the Liability Convention, the eventual influence of the treaty is potentially great.³