Bunker Convention

The Bunker Convention was introduced in 2001 by 21 countries and now it has more than 192 memebrs.  In any of these countries, it is the Owner who is liable for pollution damage from a ship’s bunkers, and liability insurance is therefore a legal obligation. If your vessel will call   a port in a country that is party to the Bunker Convention, you therefore need to apply for a Blue Card from your insurance company in advance.

The Bunker Convention Blue Card is issued by an insurer as proof that you have taken out insurance that will fully meet the liability set out in the Bunker Convention.  In addition, vessels over 500 GT will also need to have a Bunker Convention certificate issued by the flag state within the Bunker Convention as proof that such insurance is in place.