Liability convention

A liability convention is an international instrument that caps and channels a shipowner’s exposure for maritime claims. The general regime is the 1976 Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC), raised by its 1996 Protocol, which sets tonnage-based limits for most claims and lets an owner constitute a limitation fund. Subject-specific conventions sit alongside it: the 1992 Civil Liability Convention for tanker oil pollution, the 2001 Bunker Convention, and the 1974 Athens Convention for passenger claims. Each channels strict liability to a defined party, requires compulsory insurance, and fixes limits in Special Drawing Rights.