Decision ID: 002418

In October 1993 the 1971 Fund Assembly considered the question as to whether cohasset-panuke crude oil should be considered as a ‘contributing oil’ for the purpose of the Fund Convention. It was noted that on the basis of its distillation characteristics the oil would be considered as non-persistent against the criteria laid down in the Fund’s Guide to the Nature and Definition of Persistent Oil. The Assembly took the view that it was reasonable to interpret the definition of ‘crude oil’ within the definition of ‘contributing oil’ as being limited to persistent crude oil, since compensation under the 1969 Civil Liability and 1971 Fund Conventions only applied to damage caused by spill of persistent oil. The Assembly therefore decided that cohasset-panuke crude should be considered as falling outside the definition of ‘contributing oil’.