One of the questions most frequently asked of the International Tanker Owners' Pollution Federation Ltd, ITOPF, is how much does it cost to clean up an oil spill. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer as the costs of oil spills vary considerably from one incident to another, depending on a number of interrelated factors. It is Cope's hope that, given all the world experience, South Africa will come up with a Bill that will encompass all the major salient points because this is a universal problem. Cope will therefore impress on Parliament today to include the human collateral factor requiring community compensation. Currently we have only seen the law being applied under the 1992 Civil Liability Convention, CLC, fund against the registered owner of the ship. Attention has not been paid in principle to include victims from claiming compensation outside conventions from persons other than the shipowner. The case arises from what is also commonly referred to as the Erika decision for charterers and cargo holders.