By Nathan Eastwood, Haeran Chung and Iuliia Samsonova 1. Introduction Do Articles 137 and 139 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) establish a universal legal regime governing all seabed mineral activities, irrespective of the regulatory framework under which they occur? This question has gained …
By: Gustavo Leite Neves da Luz Maritime regulation has traditionally organised the master’s authority around a physical place: the bridge. The IMO’s new International Code of Safety for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS Code) unsettles that premise without displacing the office itself. It contemplates a human master located in a Remote Operations Centre (ROC), …
By Ekaterina Antsygina On 18 July 2026, the Seabed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Chamber) delivered its Order on the requests for the prescription of provisional measures in Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. v International Seabed Authority (Case No. 34) and Tonga Offshore Mining …
Author: Ekaterina Antsygina The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is considering whether to request an Advisory Opinion from the ITLOS Seabed Disputes Chamber in response to unilateral deep-sea mining activities in the Area. A note by the Secretary-General (ISBA/31/A/8), submitted to the 31st session of the Assembly, proposes a request under …
Author: Coalter Lathrop One emerging challenge to the rules-based international order is the exploration and exploitation of the mineral resources of the deep seabed pursuant, not to the approval of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), but to the unilateral authorization of a single state, in this case the United States …
By: Konstantinos Deligiannis Virvos, Vito De Lucia and Jan Jakub Solski, Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea (NCLOS), Faculty of Law, UiT The Arctic University of Norway 1. Introduction In September 2025, the United States of America (US) launched operation “Southern Spear” which, among other actions, included a …
By: Jessica N.M. Schechinger (postdoctoral research fellow at the Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea (NCLOS), Faculty of Law, UiT The Arctic University of Norway) Matter commented on: the BBNJ Agreement entering into force and Norway’s ratification and implementation of the Agreement 1. Introduction: Norway’s ratification of the …