论船员在海事污染中的刑事责任

On the Crew's Criminal Responsibility in the Maritime Pollution Incidents

由于船舶对海洋环境可能会造成重大污染,国际公约与国内法在海事污染事故中已经开始运用刑法手段来追究船员的刑事责任。但是,一国不能完全以国内法为参照来追究船员在海事中的刑事责任,而是应当尊重海洋法公约中的海事犯罪成立要件以及管辖权的规定。我国现行刑法在惩治海事犯罪中即存在法律上的空白地带,也存在某些认识上的误区,所以应当适当对我国的国内刑事法进行修改,以应对现代海事污染犯罪。

According to international conventions and domestic laws, crew members shall be held criminally responsible in the maritime pollution incidents, as it may cause major pollution to the marine environment. However, a state shall not investigate the crew’s responsibility by its domestic laws alone. It shall respect the crime constitutes and rules of the jurisdiction as specified in international maritime conventions. Legal vacancy still remains in current Chinese criminal law. Misunderstandings exist too. Therefore, it is crucial to properly modify China’s criminal law as to cope with modern marine pollution offenses.