The grounding of the Torrey Canyon and the disastrous consequences for the marine environment proved to be a pivotal point for international cooperation to combat marine pollution in the North-East Atlantic

The Bonn Agreement for Cooperation in Dealing with Pollution of the North Sea by Oil was signed

The Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft was signed. This was known as the Oslo Convention

The Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Land-Based Sources was opened for signature. This was known as the Paris Convention

The OSPAR Commission is established as a successor to the Oslo and Paris Commissions