The Argentine National Sanitary Authorities (SENASA) has introduced Resolution 693-E/2017, which entered into force on 1 November 2017. This Resolution outlines a control system for the approval of holds/tanks of vessels and barges destined to export grains, its products and by-products. Specific criteria for when to object to or reject holds or tanks, such as the presence of live insects, loose rust scale, excessive humidity, etc., are included. This Resolution shall be applicable to all river and maritime ports. It will initially be in operation for a trial period of 1 year. The Resolution is available here (in Spanish) or here (English translation).
Monthly Archives: November 2017
Germany: court rejects appeal against Elbe river dredging
The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig dismissed on 28 November 2017 the actions brought by the towns of Cuxhaven and Otterndorf, as well as by Elbe and coastal fishermen, against the planning approval decisions for the fairway adaptation in the lower and outer Elbe. The court said that while assessing the appeals it decided to give priority to the public interest stemming from the deepened Elbe waterway. The project, aimed at adjusting the navigation channel on the lower and outer Elbe river, would enable the Port of Hamburg to accommodate mega ships. Around 130 kilometers of the river is to be dredged, enabling container ships with a 14.5 meter draft to reach the port. More information may be found here (in German).
Filed under State Practice
EU: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2178 IUU fishing vessel list 2017
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2178, 22 November 2017, amends Regulation (EU) No 468/2010 establishing the EU list of vessels engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. As with previous amendments, the Union list is compiled from RFMO/A listed IUU fishing vessels (Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008, art. 30) and does not as yet make use of the unilateral listing procedure (Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008, art. 27(1)).
For more information see here (citation: OJ L 307, 23.11.2017, p. 14–24).
Filed under State Practice
Norway: sewage ban for ships near Svalbard
The Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment has announced a future ban on sewage waste deposits from ships within 12 nautical miles from land along the Norwegian coast and around Svalbard. The Minister has said that the regulations for such deposits will be stricter and that they will apply to all kinds of vessels, regardless of their size and how many persons they are certified to take. This will translate into a change of the requirements for sewage discharges from ships to the north and west of Lindesnes by the end of 2018. More information may be found here (in English, only on measures to combat marine litter) and, with more detail, here (in Norwegian). The letter of the Minister may be found here (in Norwegian).
Filed under State Practice
Mexico: Revillagigedo National Park Decree
On the 24 November 2017, the President of Mexico signed the Revillagigedo National Park Decree, establishing the Revillagigedo Archipelago National Park of approximately 14.8 million hectares. Fishing, resource extraction and construction will be restricted.
For more information see the official press release here and Pew Trust coverage here.
Filed under State Practice
Conference: The North Sea as a Source of Sustainable Energy and Law
The Groningen Centre of Energy Law shall host a conference, entitled, The North Sea as a Source of Sustainable Energy and Law, 8 December 2017, at the Hilton (The Hague, Netherlands).
For more information, see here.
Filed under Events
Conference: Trade and Sustainable Development Symposium
The International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) shall host the biannual Trade and Sustainable Development Symposium, held alongside the WTO’s Eleventh Ministerial Conference (MC11), 11-13 December 2017 (Buenos Aires, Argentina).
For more information, see the programme here.
Filed under Events
UNESCO: Global Ocean Science Report
The UNESCO has published the Global Ocean Science Report. This document assesses for the first time the status and trends in ocean science capacity around the world. The report offers a global record of who, how, and where ocean science is conducted. According to the organization, this is the first collective attempt to systematically highlight opportunities as well as capacity gaps to advance international collaboration in ocean science and technology. The report may be found in all of the UN official languages here.
Filed under International Organizations
Call for papers: Polar Law
The Faculty of Law and the KG Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea (JCLOS), UiT The Arctic University of Norway, will together organize and host the 11th annual Polar Law Symposium in Tromsø, Norway, October 2 – 4, 2018. The organizers are particularly interested in receiving submissions related to the following topics: Indigenous peoples in the Arctic region, especially implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; climate change; climate change and the law of the sea; ecosystem management approaches; areas beyond national jurisdiction and polar regions; the future of the law of the sea; fisheries issues; protected areas; navigation issues in polar regions; gender issues in indigenous discourse; seaborne tourism; polar institutions and linkages with global institutions. Abstracts should be submitted by May 1, 2018. More information is available here.
Call for abstracts: 4th International Symposium on the Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Oceans
ICES, the FAO, IOC/UNESCO, and PICES shall host their 4th International Symposium, entitled, The Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Oceans, 4–8 June 2018, Washington D.C. (USA). A series of pre-conference workshops will also take place, 2-3 June 2018. Abstracts may be submitted for one of the 18 theme sessions until 15 December 2017.
For more information, see here.
Workshop: Regime Interaction in Ocean Governance
The research project Sustainable Ocean will be holding its first project workshop, entitled “Regime Interaction in Ocean Governance: Problems, theories and methods”. The workshop will take place on 19 and 20 April 2018 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. This workshop is aimed at engaging with the general debate on regime interaction in international law and at asking experts and non-experts of the law of the sea to discuss ocean governance issues. The program is available here.
Filed under Events
Call for papers: Transforming the ocean law by requirement of the marine environment conservation
The Human Sea program will be holding its final international conference on 15 and 16 October 2018 at the Nantes Events Center, France. The conference is entitled “Transforming the ocean law by requirement of the marine environment conservation” and its goal is to attempt a synthesis of the legal issues, technological, economic and managerial of the implemented and future evolutions. It will focus on four issues: 1) seabed (continental shelves and international zone), 2) water column (biodiversity and high seas), offshore activities (synthesis on fishing), 3) trade, Marine Renewable Energy, and 4) protection of the marine environment in a highly legal approach (principles of environmental law, regional conventions, EU law). A Junior Conference will be organized on Monday afternoon 15 October 2018, in parallel with the plenary session of the international conference. Deadline for receipt of applications is 25 January 2018. The call for papers may be found here; the junior call may be found here. More information is available here.
ILO: 2007 Work in Fishing Convention enters into force
ILO Convention (No. 188) concerning work in the fishing sector, entered into force, 16 November 2017, as per article 48(2).
For further information including supplementary material, see the ILO press release. For informaiton on the status of the convention, see the UNTS page here.
Filed under Treaties
Spain: court awards compensation for Prestige damages
The provincial court (Audiencia Provincial) of A Coruña, in Spain, has awarded the Spanish state EUR 1.6 billion in damages over the 2002 Prestige oil spill. The court also said the regional government of Galicia must be compensated EUR 1.8 million; France, which was also affected, will be compensated EUR 61 million. Various private parties were awarded compensation as well. The sum will have to be paid by the captain of the ship and the insurance (The London Steamship Owners Mutual Insurance Association) or by the owners of the ship (Mare Shipping Inc.); the award also mentions the obligation of the IOPC Funds to compensate for damages up to the limits established in the applicable treaty. The text of the award, dated 15 November 2017, may be found here (in Spanish).
Update (21 Nov. 2017): The London P&I Club has reacted to the Prestige judgment, assessing the claims and presenting the next steps ahead. The note may be found here.
Filed under Jurisprudence, State Practice
USA: legislation passed on cybersecurity at port
The US House of Representatives’ Homeland Security Committee has passed legislation aimed at addressing cybersecurity concerns at the country’s ports. The legislation’s main goals are to improve information sharing and collaboration in facing up to cybersecurity risks at ports in the US. The bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate increased information sharing about cybersecurity among maritime interests, namely to establish voluntary reporting guidelines for maritime-related cybersecurity risks and incidents. It also requires the Coast Guard to direct each Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee to facilitate the sharing of information about, and development of plans to address, port-specific cybersecurity vulnerabilities. More information is available here.
Filed under State Practice
Call for papers: Non-State Actors and International Law
The Editors of the Cambridge International Law Journal (CILJ) and the Conference Convenors shall host the 7th Cambridge International Law Conference, Non-State Actors and International Law, 3-4 April 2018, at the University of Cambridge (Cambridge, UK). Abstracts may be submitted until 8 December 2017.
For further information and submissions, see here.
ASEAN: consultations on South China Sea code of conduct to start
Filed under International Organizations, State Practice
Webinar: Ecological Restoration in International Environmental Law
The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) shall host a webinar with authors An Cliquet, Afshin Akhtarkhavari, and Anastasia Telesetsky, on their book, Ecological Restoration in International Environmental Law, 27 November 2017.
For more information and registration, see here.
Filed under Events
Conference: Oceans action day
The 23rd Session of the Conference of Parties (COP23), hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat, is taking place 6-17 November 2017, at its headquarters (Bonn, Germany). The Oceans Action Day of the Marrakesh Partnership for Global Climate Action will take place on the 11 November 2017.
Filed under Events
EU: Commission approves Belgian tax measures for maritime transport
The European Commission has approved the prolongation of various Belgian support measures for maritime transport. The scheme encourages shipping companies to register their ships in Europe and so ensure higher social, environmental and safety standards. Belgium has committed to a number of changes to its scheme to prevent any discrimination between shipping companies and registries of different European Economic Area (EEA) States and to avoid undue competition distortions. The Belgian authorities have also committed to extend the benefit of tonnage tax to all eligible ships that fly an EEA flag. More information is available here.
Filed under International Organizations, State Practice
Forum: Climate Change and the Oceans
The Faculty of Law of the University of Lund, in Sweden, will be hosting a forum on ‘Climate Change and the Oceans’. This forum will build upon the UN Oceans conference of June 2017, which provided new impetus for the global appraisal of the projected natural and human implications of climate change on the oceans. The event will take place on 13 November 2017. More information is available here.
Filed under Events
Seminar: Wrecks as Environmental Risks – The Legal Framework
The Baltic Area Legal Studies (BALEX), in cooperation with the Finnish Environment Institute ‘Syke’, will organize a research seminar on the legal issues linked to sunken shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea and related hazardous waste dumped in the sea. The focus is on the rights and obligations of the various parties involved in these operations in cases which are covered neither by cultural heritage rules nor by the Nairobi Convention on wreck removal. The event takes place on 29-30 November 2017 in Helsinki, Finland. More information is available here.
Filed under Events
De Maribus 