The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) entered into force in November 1994. This insightful book offers in-depth appraisals of the contributions of jurisprudence to this major achievement of international law, tracing the impact that courts and tribunals have had on the development and clarification of various provisions of UNCLOS over the past quarter-century.

"The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) organized the 'UNCLOS at 30' conference on 22-23 November 2012 in Belfast, which inspired the launching of this book project. All of the contributing authors spoke at the conference...and most of their chapters have evolved from their presentations"--Page vii.

This text provides valuable insight into a number of contemporary and pressing issues concerning the world's oceans and their management.

This book addresses current developments concerning the interpretation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the part of international courts and tribunals. It does so from different perspectives, by focusing on the jurisprudence of international and regional bodies, such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), as well as international arbitral tribunals and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body. The various contributions offer in-depth analyses of issues ranging from the interaction between the sources of the International Law of the Sea, to various substantial, procedural and institutional aspects of the regulatory framework established by UNCLOS. The book also focuses on the reference by international courts and tribunals, in Law of the Sea cases, to both general principles and rules concerning interpretation codified in the Vienna Conventions on the Law of Treaties.

"The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Part XI Regime and the International Seabed Authority: A Twenty-Five Year Journey, adopts a unique multidisciplinary approach by focusing on the legal, scientific, and economic perspectives of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the Convention. Central to its theme is raising awareness of the important role of the International Seabed Authority and how much it has achieved over the last 25 years in creating a regime for deep seabed mining. Through the rich and wide range of contributions, readers will be able to draw interesting new insight into the Authority's evolutionary work as well as its legal framework"--

Jurisdiction over Ships: Post-UNCLOS Developments in the Law of the Sea analyses international law developments in shipping since the adoption of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982. The Convention’s rules on the rights and obligations of flag states, coastal states and port states, have by and large been accepted and adhered to by states, but the legal regime for the oceans is neither complete nor static, nor was it intended to be so. New issues have surfaced while old issues have changed their character. Developments in law and practice have already resulted in some divergences between the jurisdictional scheme outlined in UNCLOS and how states in reality exercise their jurisdiction over ships. In this book, 18 leading academics in the field study a number of such developments in more detail, providing a practical guide to the state of the law at present while at the same time offering insights into how international law develops in this field.

These commentaries are based almost entirely on the formal and informal documentation of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III, 1973-1982), coupled, where necessary, with the personal knowledge of editors, contributors, or reviewers, many of whom were principal negotiators or UN personnel who participated in the Conference.

Volume III is the fourth substantive volume to be published in this series, covering articles 86 to 132 of the 1982 Convention. These articles address the issue of States' rights and jurisdiction in maritime areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (with the exception of the international seabed area), as well as the regime to be applied to islands, in enclosed and semi-enclosed seas, and with the access of landlocked States to and from the sea. Volume III is a direct continuation of Volume II, which deals with maritime areas under the sovereignty of jurisdiction of a State, and completes the commentary on the provisions of the Convention negotiated under the auspices of the Second Committee at UNCLOS III. The work of the Second Committee was an integrated whole, and the unity of the theme has been spread over two volumes solely as a matter of convenience. A number of documentary annexes have been included in this volume.

This work looks at topics, which can contribute to an understanding of how the Convention has been adapted to newly arising issues and how further adaptation may be achieved in the future, without a readjustment of the basic legal framework contained in the Convention.

Definitions for the Law of the Sea elucidates undefined terms and phrases used in The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) itself, as well as terms used in its analysis. Based on nearly a decade of work by the American Branch of the International Law Association’s Law of the Sea Committee, the volume provides clear definitions based on usage in the Convention, rather than geographical or geological concepts. Over 200 terms are defined in the text, alongside analyses and commentary prepared by prominent experts in the field of oceans law. Abbreviated citation forms used throughout the volume are clarified, and relevant documents are included with updated references. Definitions for the Law of the Sea is an indispensable source for governmental officials, academics and practitioners of oceans law, and serves as a supplement to the multi-volume United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982: A Commentary.