International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea Tribunal international du droit de la mer  (French)
Official logo
Location	Hamburg, Germany
Working languages	English French
Judges from	21 nations
Leaders
• President	Judge Tomas Heidar
• Vice President	Judge Neeru Chadha
Establishment
• UNCLOS adopted	10 December 1982
• UNCLOS in force	16 November 1994
Website https://www.itlos.org/

ITLOS seen from Elbchaussee, close to the River Elbe

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) is an international court that helps countries solve disagreements about the ocean. It was created by a big meeting of the United Nations called the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea.

ITLOS was officially set up by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This important agreement was signed in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on December 10, 1982. UNCLOS became active on November 16, 1994. It created a set of rules for how all countries should use and share the oceans and their resources.

ITLOS is one of the main ways to solve problems mentioned in UNCLOS. Even though it was created by a UN agreement, it is not a direct UN agency. However, ITLOS works very closely with the United Nations. They even have a special agreement to cooperate.

The main office of the Tribunal is in Hamburg, Germany. UNCLOS also created another group called the International Seabed Authority. This group is in charge of managing deep sea mining in parts of the ocean that do not belong to any single country. As of July 2024, many countries and the European Union have joined UNCLOS. A few countries, like the United States and Iran, have not joined yet.

How ITLOS Works

ITLOS is like a special court for ocean matters. It helps countries settle their arguments peacefully. This prevents bigger problems and makes sure everyone follows the rules of the sea.

Who are the Judges?

The Tribunal has 21 judges. These judges come from different countries that have agreed to follow UNCLOS. They are chosen carefully to make sure there is a fair mix of people from all over the world.

Sometimes, ITLOS sets up special groups of judges called "chambers" to handle specific cases. For example:

• A group of five judges helped Chile and the European Union with a case about fishing for swordfish.
• Another group of five judges helped Ghana and Ivory Coast decide where their ocean borders should be.
• A larger group of nine judges (seven permanent and two temporary) is helping Mauritius and Maldives with their ocean border dispute.

Where is ITLOS Located?

The main location for ITLOS cases is in Hamburg, Germany. However, if countries agree, cases can also be heard in Singapore. So far, all cases have been heard in Germany.

Current Judges

Judges of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

Country	Name	Inauguration	President	Vice president
Cabo Verde	José Luís Jesus	1999	2008–2011
Algeria	Boualem Bouguetaia	2008		2014–2017
Malta	David Attard	2011		2017–2020
Ukraine	Markiyan Kulyk	2011
Iceland	Tomas Heiðar	2014	2023–present
Paraguay	Óscar Cabello Sarubbi	2017
India	Neeru Chadha	2017		2023–present
Thailand	Kriangsak Kittichaisaree	2017
Russia	Roman Kolodkin	2017
Netherlands	Liesbeth Lijnzaad	2017
Chile	María Teresa Infante Caffi	2020
China	Duan Jielong	2020
Jamaica	Kathy-Ann Brown	2020
Italy	Ida Caracciolo	2020
Cameroon	Maurice Kamga	2020
Argentina	Frida Maria Armas Pfirter	2023
Japan	Hidehisa Horinouchi	2023
South Africa	Thembile Elphus Joyini	2023
South Korea	Zha Hyoung Rhee	2023
Sierra Leone	Osman Keh Kamara	2023
Poland	Konrad Jan Marciniak	2023

Important Cases

ITLOS handles many different types of cases related to the ocean. These cases often involve fishing rights, pollution, or where one country's ocean territory ends and another's begins. Here are some examples of cases the Tribunal has handled:

Cases of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

Name	Applicant	Respondent	Case began	Case ended	Outcome
The M/V "Saiga" Case	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Guinea	13 November 1997	4 December 1997	Judgment on prompt release
The M/V "Saiga" (No. 2) Case	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Guinea	13 January 1998	1 July 1999	Judgment on merits
Southern Bluefin Tuna Cases	New Zealand	Japan	30 July 1999	27 August 1999	Order on provisional measures
	Australia
The "Camouco" Case	Panama	France	17 January 2000	7 February 2000	Judgment on prompt release
The "Monte Confurco" Case	Seychelles	France	27 November 2000	18 December 2000	Judgment on prompt release
Case concerning the Conservation and Sustainable Exploitation of Swordfish Stocks in the South-Eastern Pacific Ocean	Chile /  European Union		19 December 2000	16 December 2009	Terminated at request of parties
The "Grand Prince" Case	Belize	France	21 March 2001	20 April 2001	Judgment on prompt release
The "Chaisiri Reefer 2" Case	Panama	Yemen	3 July 2001	13 July 2001	Terminated at request of parties
The MOX Plant Case	Ireland	United Kingdom	9 November 2001	3 December 2001	Order on provisional measures
The "Volga" Case	Russia	Australia	2 December 2002	23 December 2002	Judgment on prompt release
Case concerning Land Reclamation by Singapore in and Around the Straits of Johor	Malaysia	Singapore	5 September 2003	8 October 2003	Order on provisional measures
The "Juno Trader" Case	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Guinea-Bissau	18 November 2004	18 December 2004	Judgment on prompt release
The "Hoshinmaru" Case	Japan	Russia	6 July 2007	6 August 2007	Judgment on prompt release
The "Tomimaru" Case	Japan	Russia	6 July 2007	6 August 2007	Judgment on prompt release
Dispute concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal	Bangladesh /  Myanmar		14 December 2009	14 March 2012	Judgment on merits
Responsibilities and Obligations of States Sponsoring Persons and Entities with Respect to Activities in the Area	International Seabed Authority		14 May 2010	1 February 2011	Advisory opinion
The M/V "Louisa" Case	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Spain	24 November 2010	28 May 2013	Judgment on merits
The M/V "Virginia G" Case	Panama /  Guinea-Bissau		4 July 2011	14 April 2014	Judgment on merits
The "ARA Libertad" Case	Argentina	Ghana	14 November 2012	15 December 2012	Order on provisional measures
Request for an Advisory Opinion submitted by the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC)	Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission		28 March 2013	2 April 2015	Advisory opinion
The "Arctic Sunrise" Case	Netherlands	Russia	21 October 2013	22 November 2013	Order on provisional measures
Dispute concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire in the Atlantic Ocean	Ghana /  Ivory Coast		3 December 2014	23 September 2017	Judgment on merits
The "Enrica Lexie" Incident	Italy	India	21 July 2015	24 August 2015	Order on provisional measures
The M/V "Norstar" Case	Panama	Italy	17 December 2015	10 April 2019	Judgment on merits
Case concerning the Detention of Three Ukrainian Naval Vessels	Ukraine	Russia	16 April 2019	25 May 2019	Order on provisional measures
The M/T "San Padre Pio" Case	Switzerland	Nigeria	21 May 2019	6 July 2019	Order on provisional measures
Dispute concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean	Mauritius /  Maldives		24 September 2019	Ongoing
The M/T "San Padre Pio" (No. 2) Case	Switzerland /  Nigeria		17 December 2019	29 December 2021	Terminated at request of parties
The M/T "Heroic Idun" Case	Marshall Islands	Equatorial Guinea	10 November 2022	15 November 2022	Terminated at request of applicant
Request for an Advisory Opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law	Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law		12 December 2022	21 May 2024	Advisory Opinion
The M/T "Heroic Idun" (No. 2) Case	Marshall Islands /  Equatorial Guinea		27 April 2023	Ongoing
The “Zheng He” Case	Luxembourg	Mexico	3 June 2024	Ongoing