Private Academy Portal
← Academy
ML-103

International Maritime Law Advanced

An advanced course examining complex law-of-the-sea issues, maritime jurisdiction, boundary delimitation, navigation rights, marine environmental obligations, maritime disputes and international adjudication.

Academy pass mark: 80%

Public course: Anyone may study this course before applying for a Court service role.

Module 1 — Advanced Law of the Sea Framework

Students examine the advanced structure of the international law of the sea, including UNCLOS, customary international law, treaty interpretation and the interaction between different maritime legal regimes.

Module 2 — Maritime Jurisdiction and Competing Claims

Students analyse complex questions of coastal-State jurisdiction, overlapping maritime entitlements, exclusive economic zones, continental shelves and the rights of other States.

Module 3 — Maritime Boundary Delimitation

Students examine advanced principles governing maritime boundary delimitation, including relevant circumstances, equitable solutions, geographic considerations and judicial and arbitral approaches.

Module 4 — Navigation, Passage and High Seas Freedoms

Students analyse advanced questions concerning innocent passage, transit passage, archipelagic sea lanes, high seas freedoms and the balance between navigational rights and coastal-State interests.

Module 5 — Marine Environmental Protection and State Responsibility

Students examine advanced obligations concerning protection of the marine environment, pollution prevention, due diligence, environmental assessment, cooperation and responsibility for environmental harm.

Module 6 — Maritime Dispute Settlement and International Adjudication

Students examine negotiation, mediation, arbitration and judicial settlement of maritime disputes, including the role of international tribunals, evidence, provisional measures and binding decisions.

Knowledge Test

1. What is a central issue in maritime boundary delimitation?

2. Why can the continental shelf be legally significant?

3. What is an important feature of high seas freedoms?

4. Why may environmental assessment be important in maritime activities?

5. Why are international maritime tribunals and arbitral mechanisms important?