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The Bunker Oil Pollution (Liability and Compensation) (Application Fee for Insurance Certificate) Regulation will be gazetted on November 27, 2009. The Regulation prescribes the fee to be paid for an application to the Director of Marine for an Insurance Certificate to be issued by the Director, pursuant to section 33 of the Bunker Oil Pollution (Liability and Compensation) Ordinance.
A Transport and Housing Bureau spokesman said today (November 25), "The Bunker Oil Pollution (Liability and Compensation) Ordinance, enacted on November 11, 2009, seeks to implement the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001 (the Bunker Oil Convention), in Hong Kong. The Ordinance provides a compensation regime for pollution damage caused by discharge or escape of bunker oil from non-tankers on a par with that of most overseas jurisdictions.
"Under the regime, owners of non-tankers with a gross tonnage of over 1,000 entering or leaving the waters of Hong Kong are required to take out the prescribed insurance or other financial security to cover liability for pollution damage caused by oil spills, and they need to have an Insurance Certificate as proof of compliance.
"Owners of any Hong Kong-registered non-tankers or other non-tankers not registered in any State Party to the Bunker Oil Convention may apply for an Insurance Certificate either from the Director of Marine or from an authorised person as proof of their compliance with the requirement. We propose to set $535 as the fee to be paid for an application to the Director of Marine for an Insurance Certificate."
The prescribed fee of $535 is set according to the Government's established policy that fees and charges should in general be set at levels adequate to recover the full cost of providing the services concerned.
The Regulation will be tabled at the Legislative Council on December 2, 2009.
Ends/Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Issued at HKT 17:26
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