A surgical clip for clipping a tubular vessel in vivo so as to ligate the tubular vessel, the clip comprising: first and second clip portions (31, 32); and a hinge portion connecting said clip portions together to enable said clip portions to be hinged together from an open clip condition to at least one closed clip condition so as to ligate a tubular vessel placed between said clip portions; wherein each of the clip portions has a generally planar clamping surface which is arranged to be positioned in opposition to the clamping surface of the other clip portion in the or each said closed clip condition; wherein the clamping surfaces and hinge portion are constructed and arranged so that the clamping surfaces, in the or each said closed clip condition, are generally parallel to one another across the full clamping surfaces; wherein the hinge portion is elongated in a direction between the clip portions such that the clamping surfaces are spaced apart from one another by at least 0.1 mm across the full clamping surfaces in the absence of a tubular vessel between the clamping surfaces so as to enable the tubular vessel to be accommodated between the clamping surfaces when the tubular vessel is positioned between the clamping surfaces in the or each said closed clip condition; wherein the hinge portion has a pivot axis about which the first and second clip portions are hinged and in the or each said closed clip condition the maximum dimension of the clip in the direction of the hinge axis is between 0.25 and 1.0 times the maximum dimension of the clip in a direction orthogonal to the hinge axis, which orthogonal direction is generally parallel to said opposed clamping surfaces in the or each said closed clip condition; and wherein in the or each said closed clip condition the clip has a substantially smooth generally spherical or generally ovoid external 3-dimensional shape that is substantially free of i) external projections and ii) rough or sharp ends and rough or sharp edges so as to reduce the possibility of the clip eroding tissue structures surrounding the clip in vivo. first and second clip portions (31, 32); and a hinge portion connecting said clip portions together to enable said clip portions to be hinged together from an open clip condition to at least one closed clip condition so as to ligate a tubular vessel placed between said clip portions; wherein each of the clip portions has a generally planar clamping surface which is arranged to be positioned in opposition to the clamping surface of the other clip portion in the or each said closed clip condition; wherein the clamping surfaces and hinge portion are constructed and arranged so that the clamping surfaces, in the or each said closed clip condition, are generally parallel to one another across the full clamping surfaces; wherein the hinge portion is elongated in a direction between the clip portions such that the clamping surfaces are spaced apart from one another by at least 0.1 mm across the full clamping surfaces in the absence of a tubular vessel between the clamping surfaces so as to enable the tubular vessel to be accommodated between the clamping surfaces when the tubular vessel is positioned between the clamping surfaces in the or each said closed clip condition; wherein the hinge portion has a pivot axis about which the first and second clip portions are hinged and in the or each said closed clip condition the maximum dimension of the clip in the direction of the hinge axis is between 0.25 and 1.0 times the maximum dimension of the clip in a direction orthogonal to the hinge axis, which orthogonal direction is generally parallel to said opposed clamping surfaces in the or each said closed clip condition; and wherein in the or each said closed clip condition the clip has a substantially smooth generally spherical or generally ovoid external 3-dimensional shape that is substantially free of i) external projections and ii) rough or sharp ends and rough or sharp edges so as to reduce the possibility of the clip eroding tissue structures surrounding the clip in vivo.