Colin de la Rue, Charles B Anderson and Jonathan Hare. Informa Law from Routledge, Abingdon (2022) 1504 pp. Hardback £625.

The first and second editions of this book have become important handbooks for anyone who deals with environmental issues in the maritime field. The second edition was published in 2009. Since then major developments have taken place in relation to environmental aspects of shipping, and a new edition of the book has been eagerly awaited. It has been worth the wait for this third edition!

The co-authors of the first two editions of the book, Colin de la Rue and Charles B Anderson, have been joined for the third edition by Jonathan Hare, former General Counsel, Assuranceforeningen Skuld, Oslo, who has brought additional valuable experience to the team of authors.

The third edition of this book follows largely the same structure as the two previous editions, but some parts have been expanded. The book is divided into six main parts.

Part I (Ch.1, which has been substantially expanded) offers a comprehensive introduction to the environmental aspects of shipping. An outline is given of the development since the early days of oil tanker transport in the nineteenth century and the emergence in the 1960s of supertankers. It contains an introduction to relevant law and practice as well as a valuable overview of the international treaties dealing with the subject. A short presentation is given of the developments in the United States. The contributions of private interests to this development are summarised. The present concern within the shipping and insurance industries relating to greenhouse gas emissions is discussed briefly. Shipping in the polar regions and the emergence of unmanned ships are also discussed, as are the difficulties resulting from political sanctions and the grave concerns relating to violent attacks on ships and crews. Useful references are given to other chapters where the issues are discussed in detail.

Part II (Chs 2–6) deals with liability and compensation for oil pollution damage, both within the framework of the international regimes established by the treaties adopted under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and under the United States legislation.

Chapter 2 discusses the Civil Liability Conventions 1969 and 1992 (CLC), focusing on the 1992 version. The CLC, together with the Fund Conventions of 1971 (which ceased to be in force in 2004) and 1992, establish a regime of compensation for pollution damage