Brill Research Perspectives in the Law of the Sea – serie

In 2000, the case brought by Australia and New Zealand against Japan's unilateral experimental fishing programme for southern bluefin tuna controversially failed to reach the merits for lack of the arbitral tribunal’s jurisdiction. It was widely supposed that it would ultimately have failed anyway because of international courts’ reluctance to consider scientific matters, the dispute's underlying cause being the parties' scientific disagreements regarding both the tuna stock itself and the nature and risks of the experiment. In 2014, however, the ICJ decided in Australia's favour the case against Japan's scientific whaling, based on flaws in the design of that experiment. Reviewing the tuna experiment's evolving design, the propositions it was to (dis)prove and the use Japan intended for that proof, Andrew Serdy suggests that similar factors were at play in both disputes and that a similar outcome of the tuna case, though not inevitable, would have been amply justified.

If one uses Facebook, Facetime, Skype, Netflix, or any application of the internet internationally, a submarine cable is involved. Fibre optic cables bind the world together and computer server farms, maintained by major telecom and content companies, allow vast amounts of data to be stored and retrieved from the cloud. Not often appreciated is the fact that these server locations worldwide are connected by submarine fibre optic cables. In this sense, the cloud is beneath the sea. While submarine communication cables have been in steady use since 1850, their preeminent place in the modern world has never been as dominant and personal as now. Recently, calls have mounted in the context of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) for centralized control of submarine cables and for express or de facto diminishment of the freedoms related to them via the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, that have served the world’s peoples for so long. In International Submarine Cables and Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, Douglas R. Burnett and Lionel Carter examine the time proven importance of the existing international treaties, the largely peer-reviewed science on the environmental interaction of submarine cables with high seas environments, and the current submarine cable issues in the context of the BBNJ debates.

In Arctic Ocean Shipping, Donald R. Rothwell assesses contemporary navigation, security and sovereignty issues in the North American Arctic. Shipping in the Arctic Ocean is becoming a critical legal, geopolitical and security issue as a result of climate change and increased interest from non-Arctic States such as China. The law of the sea provides the key legal framework for the regulation of Arctic Ocean shipping, and has been relied upon by Canada and the United States to develop the legal regime for the Northwest Passage and the Bering Strait. Navigation within the EEZ and high seas in the Arctic is also becoming more strategically significant as a result of climate change. Multiple issues are raised with respect to maritime security and the adequacy of the existing legal regime, including how Canada and the United States will respond to interest being expressed in Arctic shipping by Asian States.

Baselines under the International Law of the Sea brings together two reports produced by the International Law Association (ILA) Committee on Baselines under the International Law of the Sea between 2008 – 2018. The Sofia Report (2012) is organized around the interpretation of Article 5 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC) concerning the normal baseline. The Sydney Report (2018) is organized around a common methodology in assessing Articles 7, 8, 10, 13, 14 and 47 of the LOSC concerning straight baselines, closing lines, and straight archipelagic baselines.

This book contains the final version of the 2018 Report of the International Law Association (ILA) Committee on International Law and Sea Level Rise, as well as the related ILA Resolutions 5/2018 and 6/2018, both as adopted by the ILA at its 78th Biennial Conference, held in Sydney, Australia, 19–24 August 2018. In Part I of the Report, key information about the establishment of the Committee, its mandate and its work so far is presented. Part II of the Report addresses key law of the sea issues through a study of possible impacts of sea level rise and their implications under international law regarding maritime limits lawfully determined by the coastal States, and the agreed or adjudicated maritime boundaries. Part III of the Report addresses international law provisions, principles and frameworks for the protection of persons displaced in the context of sea level rise.

New technologies are being introduced to address the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. By removing or chemically treating the seabed sediments, or by mechanically increasing oxygen levels in the deep sea, it is hoped that leakage of phosphorus from the seabed can be reduced. The effectiveness of such technologies is uncertain and they are scientifically controversial.Combatting Eutrophication in the Baltic Sea: Legal Aspects of Sea-Based Engineering Measures explores a number of legal issues under international, European and national law raised by such 'sea-based measures' aimed at improving the environment of the Baltic Sea. In the absence of a legal framework for the measures, the work also represents a case study in how international environmental law operates when general environmental law principles represent the main legal source available. It is concluded that in view of the scientific uncertainty surrounding the technologies, such principles do not offer sufficient guidance to national permit authorities who will ultimately decide on the matter.

In The Regime of Islands Reframed, Clive Schofield examines the definition of islands and other insular features under the international law of the sea. Particular reference is made to the arbitration case between China and the Philippines concerning the South China Sea which, as the first detailed international judicial examination and interpretation of the Regime of Islands, has reframing understanding of the definition of islands.Reactions to the Award in the South China Sea case are appraised, confirmations and clarifications provided by the Award are highlighted as well as remaining uncertainties and scope for conflicting interpretation. The high standard for fully entitled island status set by the Tribunal in the South China Sea case is underlined as is scope for flexible application of the approach to island definition adopted by the Tribunal. The potential implications of the Award both within and beyond the South China Sea are explored.

In Regulating Vessel Discharges on the International and EU Level, Alexander Proelss and Valentin J. Schatz use the examples of scrubber washwater, sewage and ballast water to offer a detailed analysis of the regulation of marine and freshwater pollution caused by discharges from vessels. This regulatory framework is characterized by a considerable degree of complexity. This complexity results from the multiplicity of applicable legal instruments, the technical nature of the relevant provisions, and the varying spatial scopes of the applicable rules in light of the mobility of international shipping. Alexander Proelss and Valentin J. Schatz clarify existing legal uncertainties and suggest harmonized interpretations and applications of the pertinent rules and principles that avoid conflicts of norms.

To what extent can underwater archaeology and underwater cultural heritage support a State’s maritime claim? Many States have plausibly extended their maritime legislative and executive jurisdiction to the outer limit of the contiguous zone to better protect underwater cultural heritage. However, some States—such as Canada in the Arctic, China in the South China Sea, or Russia in Crimea—are going further, claiming sovereignty over disputed maritime areas or even the high seas. Maritime Claims and Underwater Archaeology, aimed at internationalists and archaeologists, critically assesses these recent practices, reviewing this search for buried sovereignty from a legal, historical, and ethical perspective.

What happens after a judgment is delivered by a tribunal constituted under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea? In this ground-breaking book, all the decisions issued by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea or Annex VII arbitral tribunals are examined to determine what results transpired following the judgment or order. The authors consider what compliance means and whether it has been achieved in UNCLOS dispute settlement. We suggest what other outcomes have sometimes eventuated from UNCLOS dispute settlement and propose steps that may be taken to enhance judgment compliance.