我国船舶碰撞致油污损害责任制度研究

Research on China’s Liability Regime for Oil Pollution Damage Caused by Ship Collisions

摘要: 船舶碰撞致油污损害责任制度存在归责原则错位、基金功能异化及法律适用冲突等问题。现行立法强制将责任绑定于漏油船舶，剥夺受害方向非漏油过错方索赔的权利，违背过错责任原则，导致司法裁判尺度混乱。油污基金被迫承担本应由碰撞过错方分担的巨额赔偿，赔偿范围限于直接损失，排除生态修复等关键项目，限额设置严重脱离实际。国内法与国际公约的适用混乱加剧赔偿悬殊，责任主体僵化限定于船舶所有人，忽视实际控制人的责任。针对这些问题，本文建议构建油污严格责任与碰撞过错责任并行的双层归责体系，赋予受害方选择权；完善基金补充赔偿定位，扩展生态损害赔付范围并提高限额；厘清国际公约适用边界，统一裁判标准；明确光租人等实际控制主体的法律责任，建立覆盖生态修复全周期的赔偿机制。

Abstract: The current liability regime for oil pollution damage caused by ship collisions suffers from misalignment in liability principles, functional distortion of compensation funds, and conflicts in legal application. Existing legislation compulsorily assigns liability solely to the oil-spilling vessel, thereby depriving victims of the right to claim compensation from non-spilling but at-fault parties. This approach contravenes the fault liability principle and leads to inconsistent judicial rulings. Consequently, oil pollution compensation funds are forced to bear substantial liabilities that should rightfully be shared by collision-fault parties. Moreover, the compensation scope is limited to direct losses, excluding critical items such as ecological restoration, while compensation caps are severely detached from practical needs. Chaotic application of domestic laws and international conventions exacerbates disparities in compensation. Liability subjects remain rigidly confined to vessel owners, overlooking the responsibilities of actual controllers. To address these issues, this paper proposes establishing a dual-layer liability system combining strict liability for oil pollution and fault liability for collisions, granting victims the right to choose between claims; refining the supplementary role of compensation funds, expanding coverage for ecological damage, and raising compensation limits; clarifying the boundaries of international convention application to unify adjudication standards; and defining the legal liability of actual controllers, e.g., bareboat charterers, while establishing a comprehensive compensation mechanism covering the entire ecological restoration cycle.