Part III

The protection of the marine environment against pollution is achieved through two categories of international instruments: some with a universal scope, others with a regional scope.
Those in the first category are characterized by broad territorial application, contrasting with a more limited material scope (restricted to certain pollutants or specific sources of pollution). In terms of their purpose, these instruments can be classified into three categories: international conventions aimed at preventing marine pollution, international conventions aimed at establishing intervention mechanisms to limit or eliminate marine pollution, and international conventions aimed at establishing mechanisms for assigning liability for damage caused by marine pollution (those in the latter category are not the subject of this study).
The instruments in the second category apply to a specific maritime basin (limited territorial application), generally establishing measures regarding both the prevention of pollution and its limitation/elimination, regardless of the source of pollution and the nature of the pollutant (unlimited material application).