In protecting the marine environment from vessel-source oil pollution, compensation for victims of damage is of great importance. International conventions regarding compensation for such damage have been adopted under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization. This article analyses the extent to which South Africa has implemented the provisions of these international conventions into its domestic laws and identifies issues that remain in the South African legal system. The article reveals that, although South Africa has improved its legal system for compensation for damage from vessel-source oil pollution, claimants in respect of damage from large vessel-source persistent oil pollution and vessel-source bunker oil pollution are still not adequately compensated. This article finds that acceding to the 1996 Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims, the 2001 Bunker Convention and the 2003 Supplementary Fund Protocol would be of great interest and benefit to South Africa.

The United Republic of Tanzania, also called Tanzania, is a country composed of Mainland Tanzania and the islands of Zanzibar. Tanzania's domestic laws promote sustainable development of the marine environment; however, since the beginning of the 21st century, the country has been importing large quantities of oil, resulting in an increased risk of vessel-source oil pollution damage. Through a comparative analysis, this article examines the laws addressing this issue in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, the progress that has been made in the legal environment and the challenges that remain, and it discusses possible solutions and improvements. The article reveals that weak implementation of domestic laws for marine environment conservation, a lack of harmonization between domestic laws regarding this issue, and weak domestication of relevant ratified international conventions are among the challenges currently hindering the sustainability of Tanzania's marine environment.