This article will examine some of the basic characteristics and variations of limitation of a shipowner's liability contained in international conventions, national laws and the law of the United States. Also, because any semblance of uniformity depends on conflicts of law rules and the effects of multination litigation on limitation, the article will touch on those subjects. The underlying premise is that limitation, in a variety of forms, is a universal concept that, despite criticism, is part of the maritime law and will be for the foreseeable future.