International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea Collection

Even in the middle of the ocean, the law is in action. Legal experts are constantly needed to interpret the laws established by United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Thus, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) was established in 1994 as an independent body in Hamburg, Germany to deal with international maritime disputes. The Convention on the Law of the Sea established a comprehensive legal framework to regulate all ocean space, including its uses and resources. It contains provisions relating to territorial waters, contiguous zones, continental shelves, exclusive economic zones, and the high seas. It also provides for the protection and preservation of the marine environment, for scientific marine research, and for the development and transfer of marine technology. One of the most important parts of the Convention concerns the exploration for and exploitation of the resources of the ocean floor and its subsoil.