Tag: UNCLOS

Says ICS When it comes to governing the oceans, shipping largely has its house in order - that is the view of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) whose Chairman, Spyros M Polemis, took part in a major debate about oceans governance, in Singapore (Feb 23rd and 24th).Discussing 'Who Should Rule The Waves' at the World Ocean Summit, organised by The Economist magazine, Mr Polemis outlined how any suggestion of radically revising the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea (UNCLOS) would not be welcomed by the international shipping industry.Because of the delicate balance of rights and responsibilities that exists between flag states, port states and coastal states, the shipping industry is very reluctant to support a fundamental revision of UNCLOS.Apart from enshrining the principle of global maritime rules, which are vital to the industry, UNCLOS also establishes the right of all nations to freedom of navigation on the high seas and the right of innocent passage in territorial waters. It also deals with delicate issues such as the rights of all ships to use international straits which are of great strategic importance.Because UNCLOS addresses a number of other sensitive issues, not just affecting shipping, ICS believes it ...

Sigrid Luber, President of OceanCare, lives in hope Ocean Noise Pollution (ONP) is a source of marine pollution in the form of acoustic energy that has garnered international recognition in recent years. In fact, a number of fora including the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), International Maritime Organization, Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas, Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area and International Whaling Commission, have by now acknowledged that ONP is capable of negatively impacting on marine ecosystems and marine living resources.The diversity of the sources of ONP, which include shipping and seismic airguns used in the exploration of offshore oil and gas resources, let alone military activities, is arguably the main reason why no mitigation measures have been agreed by states so far. Indeed, it is difficult to envisage a one size fits all approach when it comes to the impacts of ONP. For instance, a number of scientific studies have shown that noise generated by shipping produces behavioural deviations in bluefin tuna schools, affecting the accuracy of their migrations to spawning and feeding grounds, with potentially significant effects on their fitness ...

Piracy escalates with 60 hostages so far losing their lives As piracy escalates and with 60 hostages so far losing their lives, the former President of the European Community Shipowners' Association has called for tougher measures to tackle the growing problem including the formation of a Global Task Force.Marnix van Overklift, speaking yesterday at a European Parliament seminar on piracy, also reminded the International Community of its obligation to ensure safe navigation in international waters as stated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).Since 2008, over 3,000 seafarers have been taken hostage and at this time, up to 400 are believed to be captive in Somalia.
Mr van Overklift, while appreciating the efforts of the European Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) and other military forces, called for their security strategy to be continued and strengthened both in terms of resources made available by Member States with robust rules of engagement.He said the lack of military resources had forced ship owners to use private armed guards to protect their crews but this had introduced a multitude of practical problems such as the certification of guards and liability issues."A UN framework agreement on the use of private armed guards ...