The Parliament of Australia has passed the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Amendment (Polar Code) Bill 2017. Its purpose is to amend the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983 (POTS Act) to fulfil Australia’s international obligations under the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code), which entered into force on 1 January 2017, and in particular to implement stricter requirements for discharging oil, noxious substances, sewage and garbage from ships in Antarctic and Arctic waters. More information about that Bill can be found here.
Monthly Archives: April 2017
Australia: Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Amendment (Polar Code) Bill 2017
Filed under State Practice
FAO: Information System of the Global Record of Vessels launched
The first working version of the Information System of the Global Record for Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels (Global Record) was launched 21 April 2017. This follows a number of progressive calls for its development and noted benefits for e.g. the Port State Measures Agreement.
For more information and access, see the press release and dedicated website.
Filed under International Organizations
Summer School: European Union and the Law of the Sea (EULoS)
The third edition of the EULoS summer school (previously reported here and here) will take place in Genoa, Italy, from 28 August – 8 September 2017. It will consist of several teaching activities and a study visit to the Italian Navy’s Hydrographic Institute. This course has been credited by the Department of Law of the University of Genoa with 9 ECTS credits. Registration is open from 1 April – 4 August 2017. More information about the programme and the speakers is available here.
Filed under Courses
PSMA: First Meeting of the Parties & First Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group
The Government of Norway will host the the First Meeting of the Parties to the PSMA [Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing] and the First Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group to be established under Article 21 of the Agreement, from 29 to 31 May 2017 and from 1 to 2 June 2017, respectively, in Oslo. The first Meeting of the Parties will address a variety of aspects of implementation, whilst the Ad Hoc Working Group is to consider the requirements of developing state parties and ‘options for the establishment of funding mechanisms’, as per article 21.
Filed under Treaties
Workshop: Marine Mineral Resources of Africa’s Continental Shelf and Adjacent International Seabed Area
A workshop on Marine Mineral Resources of Africa’s Continental Shelf and Adjacent International Seabed Area – Prospects for Sustainable Development of Africa’s Maritime Domain, in support of Africa’s Blue Economy, will be held in Kampala, Uganda from 2 to 4 May 2017. The workshop is jointly organized by the Republic of Uganda and the International Seabed Authority. It will discuss and propose mechanisms for improving regional cooperation and participation of African countries in the deep seabed regime. In particular, it will address special interests of landlocked African countries. More information available here.
Filed under Events, International Organizations
Conference: Knowing the Oceans for Achieving Sustainable Development
The Institut du Droit Économique de la Mer (INDEMER) is organizing an international conference entitled “Knowing the Oceans for Achieving Sustainable Development”. The event will address both scientific and legal aspects of marine scientific research activities. It will take place at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco on 27 and 28 April 2017. The programme is available here and more information (in French) is available here.
Filed under Events
Workshop: Maritime Boundaries
The Centre for International Law (CIL), National University of Singapore and the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong, shall host a Maritime Boundaries Workshop, 6-8 June 2017, at the National University of Singapore.
For more information and registration, see here.
Filed under Events
Call for Panels: International Law in Challenging Times
The American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) will host the International Law Weekend (ILW) 2017, entitled, International Law in Challenging Times, 19-21 October 2017, at the New York City Bar and Fordham University School of Law (New York, USA). Panel proposals are now being accepted including those concerning the law of the sea.
Submissions are open until 30 April 2017. For more information see here.
UN: Oceans Action Hub discussion “About Implementing International Law as reflected in UNCLOS”
As previously reported, the United Nations (UN) is hosting the Oceans Conference in June this year, to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14. In preparation for that meeting, the UN Oceans Action Hub is hosting a set of open online discussions. The current one is about the implementation of international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This online debate is open to contributions between 3 – 21 April 2017 and can be joined here.
Filed under International Organizations
Summer School: Law of the Sea on the edge of the Bosphorus
The Istanbul Center of International Law, in cooperation with Galatasaray University, shall host a summer school entitled, Law of the Sea on the edge of the Bosphorus, 17-23 June 2017, at Galatasaray University (Turkey). Applications are open until 30 April 2017.
For more information, see here.
Filed under Courses
ITLOS: 2017/2018 Capacity-Building and Training Programme
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has launched the 2017-2018 edition of its capacity-building and training programme on dispute settlement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This initiative was established in 2007 with the financial support of the Nippon Foundation and each edition consists on a full-time nine-month programme. Targeted participants are young government officials or researchers currently working on issues of the law of the sea or dispute settlement who are looking to develop their legal skills and deepen their practical knowledge of the settlement of disputes mechanisms. The application deadline for this edition is 20 April 2017. More information is available here and in this flyer.
Filed under Vacancies
De Maribus 