The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) is an intergovernmental organization created by the mandate of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. It was established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, signed at Montego Bay, Jamaica, on December 10, 1982. The Convention entered into force on November 16, 1994, and established an international framework for law over all ocean space, its uses and resources. The ITLOS is one of four dispute resolution mechanisms listed in Article 287 of the UNCLOS. Although the Tribunal was established by a United Nations convention, it is not, as such, a United Nations agency. Even so, it maintains close links with the United Nations and in 1997 the Tribunal concluded an Agreement on Cooperation and Relationship between the United Nations and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which establishes a mechanism for cooperation between the two institutions.

The Tribunal is based in Hamburg, Germany. The Convention also established the International Seabed Authority, with responsibility for the regulation of seabed mining beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, that is beyond the limits of the territorial sea, the contiguous zone and the continental shelf. As of July 2024, there are currently 157 signatories, 169 participant states plus the European Union. , holdouts included the United States and Iran.

Composition According to its founding statute, the Tribunal has a set of 21 judges who serve from a variety of states parties, "according to a method that intends to assure an equitable geographical representation".

At the request of Chile and the European Union, the Tribunal set up a special chamber composed of five judges to deal with the Case concerning the Conservation and Sustainable Exploitation of Swordfish Stocks in the South-Eastern Pacific Ocean (Chile/European Community).

By agreement of the parties Ghana and Ivory Coast, the Tribunal formed a special chamber composed of five judges to deal with the Dispute concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire in the Atlantic Ocean (Ghana/Côte d'Ivoire).

By agreement of the parties Mauritius and Maldives, the Tribunal formed a special chamber of seven permanent judges and two ad hoc judges to deal with the Dispute concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives).

Seats Disputes referred to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea or one of its chambers can be heard in Germany or in Singapore. So far, no case has been heard outside Germany.

Current judges +Judges of the International Tribunal for the Law of the SeaCountryNameInaugurationPresidentVice president Cabo VerdeJosé 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 Bimal N. Patel 2026 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 Pfirter2023 Japan Hidehisa Horinouchi 2023 South AfricaThembile Elphus Joyini 2023 South Korea Zha Hyoung Rhee 2023 Sierra Leone Osman Keh Kamara 2023 Poland Konrad Jan Marciniak 2023

Former judges +Former judges of the International Tribunal for the Law of the SeaCountryNameInaugurationUntilPresidentVice president Lebanon Joseph Akl 1996 2017 2005–2008 United Kingdom David Heywood Anderson 1996 2005 Trinidad and Tobago Lennox Fitzroy Ballah 2002 2003 Brazil Antonio Cachapuz de Medeiros 2016 2016 Argentina Hugo Caminos 1996 2011 India Neeru Chadha 2017 2026 France Jean-Pierre Cot 2002 2020 Iceland Guðmundur Eiríksson 1996 2002 Cameroon Paul Engo 1996 2008 China Gao Zhiguo 2008 2020 Mexico Alonso Gómez-Robledo Verduzco 2014 2023 Russia Vladimir Golitsyn 2008 2017 2014–2017 South Africa Albert Hoffmann 2005 2023 2020–2023 2011–2014 Tanzania James Kateka 2005 2023 Argentina Elsa Kelly 2011 2020 Russia Anatoly Kolodkin 1996 2008 Belize Edward Arthur Laing 1996 2001 Trinidad and Tobago Anthony Lucky 2003 2020 Brazil Vicente Marotta Rangel 1996 2015 Tunisia Mohamed Mouldi Marsit 1996 2005 Ghana Thomas Mensah 1996 2005 1996–1999 Senegal Tafsir Malick Ndiaye 1996 2020 Grenada Dolliver Nelson 1996 2014 2002–2005 1999–2002 South Korea Paik Jin-hyun 2009 2023 2017–2020 South Korea Choon-ho Park 1996 2008 Poland Stanisław Pawlak 2005 2023 Italy Tullio Treves 1996 2011 Austria Helmut Türk 2005 2014 2008–2011 Croatia Budislav Vukas 1996 2005 2002–2005 Tanzania Joseph Warioba 1996 2008 Germany Rüdiger Wolfrum 1996 2017 2005–2008 1996–1999 China Xu Guangjian 2001 2007 Japan Soji Yamamoto 1996 2005 Japan Shunji Yanai 2005 2023 2011–2014 Bulgaria Alexander Yankov 1996 2011 China Zhao Lihai 1996 2000

Cases +Cases of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea Case Number Name Applicant Respondent Case began Case ended Disposition 1 Judgment on prompt release 2 Judgment on merits3 & 4 Southern Bluefin Tuna Cases Order on provisional measures 5 Judgment on prompt release 6 Judgment on prompt release 7  / Terminated at request of parties 8 Judgment on prompt release 9 Terminated at request of parties 10 Order on provisional measures 11 Judgment on prompt release 12 Order on provisional measures 13 Judgment on prompt release 14 Judgment on prompt release 15 Judgment on prompt release 16  / Judgment on merits 17 Responsibilities and Obligations of States Sponsoring Persons and Entities with Respect to Activities in the Area International Seabed Authority Advisory opinion 18 Judgment on merits 19  / Judgment on merits 20 Order on provisional measures 21 Request for an Advisory Opinion submitted by the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission Advisory opinion 22 Order on provisional measures 23  / Judgment on merits 24 Order on provisional measures 25 Judgment on merits 26 Order on provisional measures 27 Order on provisional measures 28  / Judgment on merits 29  / Terminated at request of parties 30 Terminated at request of applicant 31 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 21 May 2024 Advisory Opinion 32The M/T "Heroic Idun" (No. 2) Case / 27 April 202327 May 2026Judgement on merits 33The “Zheng He” Case3 June 202416 March 2026Terminated at request of parties 34Case concerning an inquiry by the International Seabed Authority (Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. v. International Seabed Authority) Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. International Seabed Authority 30 May 2026 Ongoing 35 Case concerning an inquiry by the International Seabed Authority (Tonga Offshore Mining Ltd. v. International Seabed Authority) Tonga Offshore Mining Ltd. International Seabed Authority 30 May 2026 Ongoing 36 Dispute concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Ghana and Togo in the Gulf of Guinea (Ghana/Togo)  / 12 June 2026 Ongoing

References

External links

International Foundation for the Law of the Sea "Privileges and Immunities", ITLOS