This chapter examines the issues of shipowner rights to limit liability. It does not address the conventions relating to ship-source pollution damage since these have been dealt with in the previous chapter. Conventions have been developed, particularly over the last 40 years, through IMO to be applied on an international basis. This means that the same underlying principles will be applied in all contracting states. It is a matter of regret that with the exception of the oil spill compensation conventions, which have been widely ratified (but not by the USA), other IMO liability and limitation conventions have received more limited acceptance. This, in turn, has encouraged some states and regions to take, or attempt to implement, unilateral solutions as in the case of the U.S. Oil Pollution Act referred to in the last chapter. This undermines global uniformity and creates inefficiencies resulting from differing liability and insurance requirements.