The Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science will host a four day workshop on developments of International Law in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. This event results from a collaboration with the Scientific Committee on Ocean Research and the University of Tasmania and will take place on 10-14 June 2017 in Tehran, Iran. Details about the contents of the workshop can be found in this poster.
Monthly Archives: May 2017
PCA: Coastal State Rights (Ukraine v. the Russian Federation) – Rules of Procedure Adopted
On the 12 May 2017, the arbitration tribunal in respect of, Dispute Concerning Coastal State Rights in the Black Sea, Sea of Azov, and Kerch Strait (Ukraine v. the Russian Federation), PCA Case No. 2017-06, held its first procedural meeting. On the 18 May 2017 the Rules of Procedure were adopted.
For more information see the press release and Rules of Procedure. The Case View may be found here.
Filed under Jurisprudence
World Oceans Day 2017
World Oceans Day is celebrated 8 June 2017, under the coordination of The Ocean Project. This year’s theme is, Our Oceans, Our Future, and events around the world will occur in the week surrounding the 8 June 2017.
For more information, see the host of events listed here.
Filed under Non-State Actors
Conference: winning legal protection for ancient and historical shipwrecks
The Institut de recherche juridique de la Sorbonne will host a presentation entitled Winning Legal protection for ancient and historical shipwrecks: the battle to protect the 1565 Royal Navy Fleet of Jean Ribault in Florida and its precedents in international law. The event is set to occur in Paris, France, on 26 May 2017. For more information check this poster and this website.
Filed under Events
Conference: Human Rights and the Arctic
The 7th symposium “Human Rights and Science” will be held on 28-29 September 2017 in Helsinki, Finland, and it will discuss the human rights dimension in the Arctic studies. The focal themes revolve around the rights of the indigenous peoples, preconditions of scientific research in the Arctic, and the human rights perspectives in research and utilization of natural resources. The event is open to public but registration is necessary. More information is available here.
Filed under Events
Call for papers: Multiple Layers of Regulation, Focus on the Baltic Sea Region
The Baltic Area Legal Studies (BALEX) will organize a research seminar on multi-level governance with a special focus on the Baltic Sea Region in Turku, Finland, on 31 October 2017. The keynote lectures are open events. Additionally, researchers can send their papers for further workshop discussions. The research seminar calls for papers which may relate to the following issues: legal relationships between different layers of regulation; the role of non-legal steering mechanisms in policy-making; ecosystem based management and regulatory tools; industry visions of Baltic Sea developments and related regulatory needs, balancing competing interests. The papers should be sent no later than October 17, 2017. More information is available here.
Conference: Eine nachhaltige Zukunft für unsere Ozeane?
The German Society for the United Nations (DGVN) and the Swedish Embassy in Germany shall host a conference, entitled, Eine nachhaltige Zukunft für unsere Ozeane? (A sustainable future for our oceans?), 7 June 2017, at the Swedish Embassy (Berlin, Germany). The discussion and live report from the United Nations Ocean Conference will be held in German.
For more information see the programme and registration page.
Filed under Events
Conference: La Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho del Mar de 1982 y el rol del Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU
The University of Buenos Aires (UBA) is hosting a conference entitled La Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho del Mar de 1982 y el rol del Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU (the UNCLOS and the role of the UN Security Council). It will feature inter alia a presentation on the maritime controversy between Nicaragua and Colombia in the Caribbean Sea. The event will be held in Spanish and is set to happen on June 5 2017 at the Faculty of Law of the UBA. More information is available here.
Filed under Events
Canada: Oil Tanker Moratorium Act proposed in Parliament
The Government of Canada has introduced the proposed Oil Tanker Moratorium Act in Parliament, respecting the regulation of vessels that transport crude oil or persistent oil to or from ports or marine installations located along British Columbia’s north coast. The proposed legislation aims to prohibit oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tonnes of crude and persistent oils as cargo from stopping, loading or unloading at ports or marine installations in northern British Columbia. The Bill can be found here.
Filed under State Practice
Conference: Seafood Transparency and Sustainability
The Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, The Nature Conservancy and the Organization for Regional and Inter-regional Studies (Waseda University) shall host a conference, entitled, Seafood Transparency and Sustainability, 16-17 May 2017, at Waseda University (Shinjuku, Japan).
For more information and registration see here. The programme is available here.
Filed under Events
Workshop: Natural Marine Resource Management in a Changing Climate
The K.G. Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law shall host a workshop, entitled, Natural Marine Resource Management in a Changing Climate, 13-14 June 2017, at the K.G. Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea (Tromsø, Norway).
For more information and registration (fees apply) see the announcement and programme. The call for papers was previously reported.
Filed under Events
Conference: Exploring the human element of the oceans – the gender implications of the law of the sea
The School of Law of the University of Milano-Bicocca shall host a conference, entitled, Exploring the human element of the oceans: the gender implications of the law of the sea, 25-26 May 2017, at the University of Milano-Bicocca (Milan, Italy).
For more information see the programme, and registration page. The call for papers was previously reported.
Filed under Events
Workshop: Ocean Commons
The K.G. Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea and the Institute for International Legal Studies, National Research Council of Italy, are jointly organizing a workshop titled Ocean Commons: Common Heritage, Marine Genetic Resources and Biodiversity Conservation in Areas beyond National Jurisdiction. The event will take place in Rome, Italy, on 13 June 2017. More information is available here.
Filed under Events
2010 HNS Protocol: First Ratification
On 21 April 2017 Norway became the first state to deposit its instrument of ratification to the Protocol of 2010 to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea. There are currently seven other signatories, subject to ratification.
For further information, and requirements for entry into force, see here. A consolidated version of the treaty (2010 HNS Convention) is available here.
Filed under Treaties
Conference: A Bridge Over Troubled Waters – Dispute Resolution in the Law of International Watercourses and the Law of the Sea
The Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for Procedural Law shall host a conference, entitled, A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Dispute Resolution in the Law of International Watercourses and the Law of the Sea, 25-26 September 2017.
Filed under Events
UN: Consultations Upon Ocean Conference Call for Action
The Second Intergovernmental Consultations on UN Ocean Conference Call for Action was held 24-27 April 2017, at UN Headquarters (New York, USA). The first round was held 20-22 March 2017 and the third round is anticipated to be the final.
A report of the outstanding issues identified during consultation is available on the SDG Knowledge Hub website. For more information on the event and the Draft Call for Action discussed, see the letter of the co-facilitators.
Filed under International Organizations
Symposium: United Nations Security Council and the Sea
The Centre de droit international EDIEC (Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3), together with the Association pour la promotion du droit international, shall host a symposium, entitled, United Nations Security Council and the Sea, 4-5 May 2017, at the Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 (Lyon, France).
For more information see the programme here.
Filed under Events
Conference: Maritime Spatial Planning, Addressing Land-Sea Interactions
The Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission is organising a two-day conference to address the topic of Land Sea Interactions within the framework of Maritime Spatial Planning. The event will be held in Malta, on 15-16 June 2017. More information about the event here.
Filed under Events
EC: Portugal referred to the CJEU regarding flag state obligations
The European Commission (EC) decided to refer Portugal to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) for failing to respect its obligations as a flag state. The EC issued two separate referrals to the CJEU concerning flag state requirements on one hand (Article 8(1) of Directive 2009/21/EC), and monitoring and reporting activities of its recognised organisations on the other hand (Directive 2009/15/EC). The EC had already requested Portugal to comply with these Directives in September 2016 (flag state requirements) and July 2016 (monitoring and reporting). More information is available in this press release.
Filed under International Organizations, State Practice
WTO: US ‘Dolphin Safe’ Labeling – Retaliatory Measures
The World Trade Organization (WTO) arbitrator’s decision, released 25 April 2017, in respect of DS381: US — Tuna II (Mexico), provided “Mexico may request authorization from the [Dispute Settlement Body] DSB to suspend concessions or other obligations […] at a level not exceeding USD 163.23 million per annum”. The dispute originally arises from the 2013 US tuna labeling policy (since modified and further challenged), which was used as the basis to assess the “level of nullification or impairment of benefits accruing to Mexico”.
For further information see here, and the reported decision here.
Filed under Jurisprudence
Pacific MOU on Flag State Implementation Signed
The Third Pacific Regional Energy and Transport Ministers’ Meeting, held 24-28 April 2017 (Nuku’alofa, Tonga), adopted the Memorandum of Understanding on Flag State Implementation for Domestic Ship in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific MoU), the first in the world to address the safety of domestic shipping. Despite inclusion in previous discussions, port state control was excluded form the MoU to avoid duplication with the Tokyo MoU.
For more information see the Pacific MoU, Communiqué and the Transport Resolutions (paras. 21-22). Other documentation and resources from the meeting are available here.
Filed under State Practice
De Maribus 