AbstractThe purpose of this article is to identify the currently applicable international law intended to regulate vessel‐source pollution. Part I delineates the elements relevant for this study. Part II discusses the development of a sequence of incremental conventions. Part III examines the significance and weaknesses of the 1973 MARPOL Convention with its 1978 Protocol and of the 1982 UN. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Part IV explores alternative and/or supplementary legal approaches for handling the vessel‐source oil pollution threat.