Maritime Transport Act 1994

Civil liability for pollution of marine environment

342: Interpretation

You could also call this:

"What special words mean in the Maritime Transport Act"

When you read about the Maritime Transport Act, you will see some special words. You need to know what these words mean. Bunker oil is a type of oil used to run ships.

The Bunker Oil Convention is an international agreement about pollution from ships. It includes any updates or changes made to the agreement that New Zealand has accepted. A Bunker Oil Convention ship is a ship that is registered in a country that has agreed to the Bunker Oil Convention.

A Bunker Oil Convention State is a country that has agreed to the Bunker Oil Convention. The Civil Liability Convention is another international agreement about pollution from ships. It is also known as the CLC. A CLC owner is the person who owns a ship that is covered by the CLC.

A CLC ship is a ship that carries oil in bulk. A CLC State is a country that has agreed to the CLC. A harmful substance is something that can pollute the environment, like oil or chemicals. You can find a list of harmful substances in the marine protection rules, which you can read about in section 225.

Insurance means public liability insurance. A marine agency is an organisation that looks after the marine environment, like the Authority or a regional council. A marine structure is something used to transfer oil or other substances to or from a ship. Oil is a type of substance that can pollute the environment. An oil tanker is a ship that carries oil in bulk.

Pollution damage is harm caused to the environment by oil or other substances. This can include the cost of cleaning up the pollution and restoring the environment. A regulated foreign oil tanker is an oil tanker that is not from New Zealand. A regulated New Zealand oil tanker is an oil tanker that is from New Zealand.

A regulated New Zealand ship is a ship from New Zealand that is covered by the regulations. A regulated oil tanker is an oil tanker that carries a lot of oil. A regulated ship is a ship that is covered by the regulations, but is not an oil tanker. The size of a ship is measured in tonnes, which is a unit of weight.

The tonnage of a ship is its size in tonnes. You can find out more about how tonnage is measured in the regulations or by looking at the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969. An order about the size of oil tankers is secondary legislation, which you can read about in Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.

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341: Recovery of levies, or

"Getting back money owed for oil pollution levies"


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343: Ownership of CLC Ship, or

"Who is in charge of a ship that spills oil into the sea"

Part 25Civil liability for pollution of marine environment

342Interpretation

  1. In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires,—

    bunker oil means—

    1. any hydrocarbon mineral oil used, or intended to be used, for the operation or propulsion of a ship; and
      1. any residues of that oil

        Bunker Oil Convention

        1. means the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage done at London on 23 March 2001; and
          1. includes any subsequent protocol or amendment to, or revision of, that convention accepted or ratified by New Zealand

            Bunker Oil Convention ship means a ship registered in, or (if unregistered) flying the flag of, a Bunker Oil Convention State

              Bunker Oil Convention State means any State that is a party to the Bunker Oil Convention

                Civil Liability Convention or CLC means the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969; and includes any subsequent protocol or amendment to, or revision of, that convention accepted or ratified by New Zealand

                  CLC owner means,—

                  1. in the case of a registered CLC ship, the person registered as the owner of that ship; or
                    1. in the case of an unregistered CLC ship, the person who owns the ship; or
                      1. in the case of a CLC ship owned by a State and operated by a person registered as the ship’s operator, the person registered as its operator

                        CLC ship has the same meaning as ship has in the Civil Liability Convention

                          CLC State means any State that is a party to the Civil Liability Convention

                            harmful substance means—

                            1. any substance specified as a harmful substance for the purposes of section 225 by the marine protection rules:
                              1. oil:
                                1. bunker oil

                                  insurance means public liability insurance

                                    marine agency means the Authority, a regional council, or the operator of a port facility

                                      marine structure means an offshore installation, a pipeline, or any facility, site, structure, or thing used to transfer a harmful substance to or from a ship or offshore installation

                                        oil means any persistent hydrocarbon mineral oil

                                          oil tanker means a ship carrying oil in bulk as cargo

                                            pollution damage means damage or loss of any kind caused by or resulting from the escape or discharge of a harmful substance from a ship and —

                                            1. includes the cost of any reasonable preventive measures taken to prevent or reduce pollution damage and any damage or loss occurring as a result of those measures; and
                                              1. includes the costs of reasonable measures of reinstatement of the environment that are undertaken or to be undertaken; and
                                                1. includes losses of profit from impairment of the environment; but
                                                  1. does not include any costs in relation to the impairment of the environment other than the costs referred to in paragraphs (b) and (c)

                                                    regulated foreign oil tanker means a regulated oil tanker that is not a New Zealand ship

                                                      regulated New Zealand oil tanker means a regulated oil tanker that is a New Zealand ship

                                                        regulated New Zealand ship means a regulated oil tanker or a regulated ship that is a New Zealand ship

                                                          regulated oil tanker means an oil tanker, wherever registered and of whatever nationality, carrying a quantity of oil in bulk in excess of 2 000 tonnes or such other quantity as may be fixed for the purpose from time to time by the Governor-General by Order in Council (see subsection (3))

                                                            regulated ship means a New Zealand or foreign ship of 400 gross tonnage or more other than a regulated oil tanker

                                                              tonnage, in relation to any ship,—

                                                              1. has the meaning defined in any regulations or maritime rules made under this Act that apply to the ship, unless the term is defined differently for different purposes, or is not defined, by such regulations or rules:
                                                                1. where the tonnage cannot be ascertained under paragraph (a), means the gross tonnage calculated in accordance with the tonnage measurement regulations contained in Annex I of the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969.

                                                                2. In the Civil Liability Convention, ship means any sea-going vessel and seaborne craft of any type whatsoever constructed or adapted for the carriage of oil in bulk as cargo, provided that a ship capable of carrying oil and other cargoes shall be regarded as a ship only when it is actually carrying oil in bulk as cargo and during any voyage following such carriage unless it is proved that it has no residues of such carriage of oil in bulk aboard.

                                                                3. An order made for the purpose of the definition of regulated oil tanker in subsection (1) is secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements).

                                                                Notes
                                                                • Section 342(1) bunker oil: inserted, on , by section 92(1) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 84).
                                                                • Section 342(1) Bunker Oil Convention: inserted, on , by section 92(1) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 84).
                                                                • Section 342(1) Bunker Oil Convention ship: inserted, on , by section 92(1) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 84).
                                                                • Section 342(1) Bunker Oil Convention State: inserted, on , by section 92(1) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 84).
                                                                • Section 342(1) Civil Liability Convention: amended, on , by section 54(1) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 84).
                                                                • Section 342(1) CLC ship: replaced, on , by section 10(1) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 48).
                                                                • Section 342(1) harmful substance: replaced, on , by section 92(2) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 84).
                                                                • Section 342(1) oil: substituted, on , by section 3(3) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 1998 (1998 No 53).
                                                                • Section 342(1) pollution damage: substituted, on , by section 3(4) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 1998 (1998 No 53).
                                                                • Section 342(1) pollution damage: amended, on , by section 54(2) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 84).
                                                                • Section 342(1) regulated offshore installation: repealed, on , by section 54(3) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 84).
                                                                • Section 342(1) regulated oil tanker: amended, on , by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).
                                                                • Section 342(1) regulated ship: replaced, on , by section 54(4) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 84).
                                                                • Section 342(1) tonnage paragraph (b): substituted, on , by section 3(5) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 1998 (1998 No 53).
                                                                • Section 342(2): inserted, on , by section 10(2) of the Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 48).
                                                                • Section 342(3): inserted, on , by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).