Small Tanker Oil Pollution Indemnification Agreement (STOPIA) – No.2 25 February 2005 No.04-016 Further to our previous circular No.04-012 of 29 November 2004 on the captioned, we would like to inform the Members of the implementation of the Small Tanker Oil Pollution Indemnification Agreement (STOPIA) on 3 March 2005 as follows. 1.The Supplementary Fund Protocol to come into force On 3 March 2005, the Supplementary Fund Protocol will come into force in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Norway and Spain. A number of other States are expected shortly to ratify the Protocol. The Protocol was adopted in May 2003 in order to provide an additional layer of compensation for oil pollution damage to which the 1992 Civil Liability Convention (CLC 92) and/or 1992 Fund Convention (FC 92) apply. 2.The implementation of the STOPIA scheme The STOPIA scheme will enter into effect simultaneously with the entry-into-force of the Protocol. In 2001, at the time when the Supplementary Fund Protocol was being drawn up, the Boards of all International P&I Group (IG) Clubs agreed to put in place a mechanism for increasing the minimum limit of shipowner liability under CLC 92 to:-   Demonstrate the support of shipowners for the compensation scheme established by CLC 92 /FC 92. Demonstrate the commitment of shipowners to the notion of sharing. This was in recognition of the potentially increased burden on contributing oil receivers under the proposed third tier of compensation through the Supplementary Fund Protocol. Avoid the necessity of amending the Conventions.   In order to implement the STOPIA scheme, the following two agreements were drawn up. 3.STOPIA agreement A copy of STOPIA is attached as Annex 1. As explained in our previous circular No.04-012, the main features of STOPIA are: - The limits of liability under CLC 92 for tankers of 29,548 GT or less will be voluntarily increased to SDR 20 million in the event of oil spills affecting a State where th