Blowout 1989

This paper will review the events surrounding the blowout of IXTOC I, and consider the legal and environmental effects of a Law of the Sea (LOS) Treaty on a potential oil well blowout in 1989. The present LOS negotiating text contains articles which detail specific marine environmental protection responsibilities at the national and international level with respect to seabed exploration and exploitation. The authors believe that a LOS regime will provide the framework within which resource exploitation can be undertaken pursuant to a more uniform set of international rules and standards which will facilitate offshore development and significantly enhance global protection of the marine environment.