Jurisdiction of ITLOS

Jurisdiction of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

Jurisdiction of ITLOS

According to Article 5 of Statute of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)

The jurisdiction of the Tribunal comprises all disputes and all applications submitted to it in accordance with this Convention and all matters specifically provided for in any other agreement which confers jurisdiction on the Tribunal.

The UNCLOS III has described the jurisdiction of Tribunal as below

According to Article 288 of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) III

1. A court or tribunal referred to in article 287 shall have jurisdiction over  any  dispute  concerning  the  interpretation  or  application  of  this Convention which is submitted to it in accordance with this Part.

2. A  court  or  tribunal  referred  to  in  article  287  shall  also  have jurisdiction over any dispute concerning the interpretation or application of an international agreement related to the purposes of this Convention, which is submitted to it in accordance with the agreement.

3.

The Seabed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law  of  the  Sea  established  in  accordance  with  Annex  VI,  and  any  other chamber  or  arbitral  tribunal  referred  to  in  Part  XI,  section  5,  shall  have jurisdiction in any matter which is submitted to it in accordance therewith.

4. In  the  event  of  a  dispute  as  to  whether  a  court  or  tribunal  has jurisdiction, the matter shall be settled by decision of that court or tribunal.

Limitations on applicability of section 2

According to Article 293 of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) III

1. Disputes  concerning  the  interpretation  or  application  of  this Convention  with  regard  to  the exercise  by  a  coastal  State  of  its  sovereign rights or jurisdiction provided for in this Convention shall be subject to the procedures provided for in section 2 in the following cases:

(a)   when it is alleged that a coastal State has acted in contravention of the provisions of this Convention in regard to the freedoms and rights of navigation, overflight or the laying of submarine cables and pipelines, or in regard to other internationally lawful uses of the sea specified in article 58;

(b)  when it is alleged that a State in exercising the aforementioned freedoms,  rights  or  uses  has  acted  in  contravention  of  this Convention  or  of  laws  or  regulations  adopted  by  the  coastal State  in  conformity  with  this  Convention  and  other  rules  of international law not incompatible with this Convention; or

(c) when it is alleged that a coastal State has acted in contravention of specified international rules and standards for the protection and   preservation   of   the   marine   environment   which   are applicable to the coastal State and which have been established by  this  Convention  or  through  a  competent  international organization or diplomatic conference in accordance with this Convention.

2.

(a) Disputes  concerning  the  interpretation  or  application  of  the provisions of this Convention with regard to marine scientific research shall be settled in accordance with section 2, except that  the  coastal  State  shall  not  be  obliged  to  accept  the submission to such settlement of any dispute arising out of:

(i) the exercise by the coastal State of a right or discretion in accordance with article 246; or

(ii) a  decision  by  the  coastal  State  to  order  suspension  or cessation  of  a  research  project  in  accordance  with article 253.

(b)  A dispute arising from an allegation by the researching State that with respect to a specific project the coastal State is not exercising  its  rights  under  articles  246  and  253  in  a  manner compatible  with  this  Convention  shall  be  submitted,  at  the request  of  either  party,  to  conciliation  under  Annex  V, section 2, provided that the conciliation commission shall not call in question the exercise by the coastal State of its discretion to  designate  specific  areas  as  referred  to  in  article  246, paragraph  6,  or  of  its  discretion  to  withhold  consent  in accordance with article 246, paragraph 5.

3.

(a)   Disputes  concerning  the  interpretation  or  application  of  the provisions of this Convention with regard to fisheries shall be settled  in  accordance  with  section  2,  except  that  the  coastal State  shall  not  be  obliged  to  accept  the  submission  to  such settlement of any dispute relating to its sovereign rights with respect to the living resources in the exclusive economic zone or   their   exercise,   including   its   discretionary   powers   for determining  the  allowable  catch,  its  harvesting  capacity,  the allocation  of  surpluses  to  other  States  and  the  terms  and conditions established in its conservation and management laws and regulations.

(b)  Where no settlement has been reached by recourse to section 1 of this Part, a dispute shall be submitted to conciliation under Annex V, section 2, at the request of any party to the dispute, when it is alleged that:

(i)    a  coastal  State  has  manifestly  failed  to  comply  with  its obligations  to  ensure  through  proper  conservation  and management measures that the maintenance of the living resources in the exclusive economic zone is not seriously endangered;

(ii)    a coastal State has arbitrarily refused to determine, at the request  of  another  State,  the  allowable  catch  and  its capacity to harvest living resources with respect to stocks which that other State is interested in fishing; or

(iii)    a coastal State has arbitrarily refused to allocate to any State, under articles 62, 69 and 70 and under the terms and conditions established by the coastal State consistent with this Convention, the whole or part of the surplus it has declared to exist.

(c)   In  no  case  shall  the  conciliation  commission  substitute  its discretion for that of the coastal State.

(d)  The    report    of    the    conciliation    commission    shall    be communicated to the appropriate international organizations.

(e)   In negotiating agreements pursuant to articles 69 and 70, States Parties, unless they otherwise agree, shall include a clause on measures  which  they  shall  take  in  order  to  minimize  the possibility of a disagreement concerning the interpretation or application of the agreement, and on how they should proceed if a disagreement nevertheless arises.

Optional exceptions to applicability of section 2

According to Article 298 of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) III

1. When signing, ratifying or acceding to this Convention or at any time thereafter, a State may, without prejudice to the obligations arising under section 1, declare in writing that it does not accept any one or more of the procedures  provided  for  in  section  2  with  respect  to  one  or  more  of  the following categories of disputes:

(a)

(i)  disputes  concerning  the  interpretation  or  application  of articles   15,   74   and   83   relating   to   sea boundary delimitations,  or  those  involving  historic  bays  or  titles, provided  that  a  State  having  made  such  a  declaration shall, when such a dispute arises subsequent to the entry into  force  of  this  Convention  and  where  no  agreement within   a   reasonable   period   of   time   is   reached   in negotiations  between  the  parties,  at  the  request  of  any party to the dispute, accept submission of the matter to conciliation under  Annex  V,  section  2;  and  provided further  that  any  dispute  that  necessarily  involves  the concurrent   consideration   of   any   unsettled   dispute concerning sovereignty or other rights over continental or insular   land   territory   shall   be   excluded   from   such submission;

(ii)    after the conciliation commission has presented its report, which  shall  state  the  reasons  on  which  it  is  based,  the parties shall negotiate an agreement on the basis of that report; if these negotiations do not result in an agreement, the parties shall, by mutual consent, submit the question to one of the procedures provided for in section 2, unless the parties otherwise agree;

(iii)    this  subparagraph  does  not  apply  to  any  sea  boundary dispute  finally  settled  by  an  arrangement  between  the parties, or to any such dispute which is to be settled in accordance  with  a  bilateral  or  multilateral  agreement binding upon those parties;

(b)  disputes   concerning   military   activities,   including   military activities  by  government  vessels  and  aircraft  engaged  in non-commercial    service,    and    disputes    concerning    law enforcement  activities  in  regard  to  the  exercise  of  sovereign rights or jurisdiction excluded from the jurisdiction of a court or tribunal under article 297, paragraph 2 or 3;

(c)   disputes in respect of which the Security Council of the United Nations is exercising the functions assigned to it by the Charter of the United Nations, unless the Security Council decides to remove the matter from its agenda or calls upon the parties to settle it by the means provided for in this Convention.

2. A State Party which has made a declaration under paragraph 1 may at  any  time  withdraw  it,  or  agree  to  submit  a  dispute  excluded  by  such declaration to any procedure specified in this Convention.

3. A State Party which has made a declaration under paragraph 1 shall not be entitled to submit any dispute falling within the excepted category of disputes to any procedure in this Convention as against another State Party, without the consent of that party.

4. If   one   of   the   States   Parties   has   made   a   declaration   under paragraph 1(a), any other State Party may submit any dispute falling within an excepted category against the declarant party to the procedure specified in such declaration.

5. A new declaration, or the withdrawal of a declaration, does not in any way affect proceedings pending before a court or tribunal in accordance with this article, unless the parties otherwise agree.

6. Declarations and notices of withdrawal of declarations under this article shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall transmit copies thereof to the States Parties.

 

Right of the parties to agree upon a procedure

According to Article 299 of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) III

1. A dispute excluded under article 297 or excepted by a declaration made under article 298 from the dispute settlement procedures provided for in section 2 may be submitted to such procedures only by agreement of the parties to the dispute.

2. Nothing in this section impairs the right of the parties to the dispute to agree to some other procedure for the settlement of such dispute or to reach an amicable settlement.

Advisory opinions


According to Article 191 of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) III

The Seabed Disputes Chamber shall give advisory opinions at the request of the Assembly or the Council on legal questions arising within the scope of their activities.  Such opinions shall be given as a matter of urgency.