The international agreement provided provisions to control the discharge of fossil fuel pollutants from nautical vessels on the high seas.

The international meeting was convened to acknowledge the disposal of harmful waste which posed endangerment to the marine ecosystems.

[1] The International Convention for the Prevention of the Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954 original text was penned in English and French.

[2][3] The Act emulated the subsequent formalities of the International Convention for the Prevention of the Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954.

The 1961 United States statute was repealed by the enactment of Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships on October 21, 1980.