News
15 Aug, 2019
Increase in limits of liability under OPA 90
Tony Paulson
Head of Asia & Corporate Director
From 12 November 2019 the limits of liability for vessels under OPA 90 will increase.
In line with the provision under OPA 90 for the United States Coast Guard to periodically raise the limits of liability to reflect inflation, it has been announced that as from 12 November 2019 the limits for vessels will increase as follows:
Category | Previous Limit of Liability | New Limit of Liability |
| (1) The OPA 90 limits of liability for tank vessels, other than edible oil tank vessels and oil spill response vessels, are: | ||
| (i) For a single-hull tank vessel greater than 3,000 gross tons | The greater of $3,500 per gross ton or $25,845,600 | The greater of $3,700 per gross ton or $27,422,200. |
| (ii) For a tank vessel greater than 3,000 gross tons, other than a single-hull tank vessel | The greater of $2,200 per gross ton or $18,796,800 | The greater of $2,300 per gross ton or $19,943,400. |
| (iii) For a single-hull tank vessel less than or equal to 3,000 gross tons | The greater of $3,500 per gross ton or $7,048,800 | The greater of $3,700 per gross ton or $7,478,800. |
| (iv) For a tank vessel less than or equal to 3,000 gross tons, other than a single-hull tank vessel | The greater of $2,200 per gross ton or $4,699,200 | The greater of $2,300 per gross ton or $4,985,900. |
| (2) The OPA 90 limits of liability for any vessel other than a vessel listed above, including for any edible oil tank vessel and any oil spill response, vessel, are: | The greater of $1,100 per gross ton or $939,800 | The greater of $1,200 per gross ton or $997,100. |
Members with any questions about these limits or any other aspect of oil pollution liability or pollution response in the United States should contact the Managers.