alt=A large building with trees in front|thumb|ITLOS seen from [[Elbchaussee, close to the River Elbe]]
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.
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
Current judges
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Judges of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
|-
!scope="col"|Country
!scope="col"|Name
!scope="col"|Inauguration
!scope="col"|President
!scope="col"|Vice president
|-
| Cabo Verde
|scope="row"|José Luís Jesus ||1999 ||2008–2011 ||
|-
| Algeria
|scope="row"| Boualem Bouguetaia ||2008 || ||2014–2017
|-
| Malta
|scope="row"| David Attard ||2011 || ||2017–2020
|-
| Ukraine
|scope="row"| Markiyan Kulyk ||2011 || ||
|-
| Iceland
|scope="row"| Tomas Heiðar ||2014 ||2023–present ||
|-
| Paraguay
|scope="row"| Óscar Cabello Sarubbi ||2017 || ||
|-
| India
|scope="row"| Neeru Chadha ||2017 || ||2023–present
|-
| Thailand
|scope="row"| Kriangsak Kittichaisaree ||2017 || ||
|-
| Russia
|scope="row"| Roman Kolodkin ||2017 || ||
|-
| Netherlands
|scope="row"| Liesbeth Lijnzaad ||2017 || ||
|-
| Chile
|scope="row"| María Teresa Infante Caffi ||2020 || ||
|-
| China
|scope="row"| Duan Jielong ||2020 || ||
|-
| Jamaica
|scope="row"| Kathy-Ann Brown ||2020 || ||
|-
| Italy
|scope="row"| Ida Caracciolo ||2020 || ||
|-
| Cameroon
|scope="row"| Maurice Kamga ||2020 || ||
|-
| Argentina
|scope="row"| Frida Maria Armas Pfirter||2023 || ||
|-
| Japan
|scope="row"| Hidehisa Horinouchi ||2023 || ||
|-
| South Africa
|scope="row"|Thembile Elphus Joyini ||2023 || ||
|-
| South Korea
|scope="row"| Zha Hyoung Rhee ||2023||
|-
| Sierra Leone
|scope="row"| Osman Keh Kamara ||2023 || ||
|-
| Poland
|scope="row"| Konrad Jan Marciniak ||2023 || ||
|}
Former judges
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Former judges of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
|-
!scope="col"|Country
!scope="col"|Name
!scope="col"|Inauguration
!scope="col"|Until
!scope="col"|President
!scope="col"|Vice president
|-
| Lebanon
|scope="row"| Joseph Akl ||1996 ||2017 || ||2005–2008
|-
| United Kingdom
|scope="row"| David Heywood Anderson ||1996 ||2005 || ||
|-
| Trinidad and Tobago
|scope="row"| Lennox Fitzroy Ballah ||2002 ||2003 || ||
|-
| Brazil
|scope="row"| Antonio Cachapuz de Medeiros ||2016 ||2016 || ||
|-
| Argentina
|scope="row"| Hugo Caminos ||1996 ||2011 || ||
|-
| India
|scope="row"| P. Chandrasekhara Rao ||1996 ||2017 ||1999–2002 ||
|-
| France
|scope="row"| Jean-Pierre Cot ||2002 ||2020 || ||
|-
| Iceland
|scope="row"| Guðmundur Eiríksson ||1996 ||2002 || ||
|-
| Cameroon
|scope="row"| Paul Engo ||1996 ||2008 || ||
|-
| China
|scope="row"| Gao Zhiguo ||2008 ||2020 || ||
|-
| Mexico
|scope="row"| Alonso Gómez-Robledo Verduzco ||2014 ||2023 || ||
|-
| Russia
|scope="row"| Vladimir Golitsyn ||2008 ||2017 ||2014–2017 ||
|-
| South Africa
|scope="row"| Albert Hoffmann ||2005 ||2023 ||2020–2023 ||2011–2014
|-
| Tanzania
|scope="row"| James Kateka ||2005 ||2023 || ||
|-
| Argentina
|scope="row"| Elsa Kelly ||2011 ||2020 || ||
|-
| Russia
|scope="row"| Anatoly Kolodkin ||1996 ||2008 || ||
|-
| Belize
|scope="row"| Edward Arthur Laing ||1996 ||2001 || ||
|-
| Trinidad and Tobago
|scope="row"| Anthony Lucky ||2003 ||2020 || ||
|-
| Brazil
|scope="row"| Vicente Marotta Rangel ||1996 ||2015 || ||
|-
| Tunisia
|scope="row"| Mohamed Mouldi Marsit ||1996 ||2005 || ||
|-
| Ghana
|scope="row"| Thomas Mensah ||1996 ||2005 ||1996–1999 ||
|-
| Senegal
|scope="row"| Tafsir Malick Ndiaye ||1996 ||2020 || ||
|-
| Grenada
|scope="row"| Dolliver Nelson ||1996 ||2014 ||2002–2005 ||1999–2002
|-
| South Korea
|scope="row"| Paik Jin-hyun ||2009 ||2023 ||2017–2020 ||
|-
| South Korea
|scope="row"| Choon-ho Park ||1996 ||2008 || ||
|-
| Poland
|scope="row"| Stanisław Pawlak ||2005 ||2023 || ||
|-
| Italy
|scope="row"| Tullio Treves ||1996 ||2011 || ||
|-
| Austria
|scope="row"| Helmut Türk ||2005 ||2014 || ||2008–2011
|-
| Croatia
|scope="row"| Budislav Vukas ||1996 ||2005 || ||2002–2005
|-
| Tanzania
|scope="row"| Joseph Warioba ||1996 ||2008 || ||
|-
| Germany
|scope="row"| Rüdiger Wolfrum ||1996 ||2017 ||2005–2008 ||1996–1999
|-
| China
|scope="row"| Xu Guangjian ||2001 ||2007 || ||
|-
| Japan
|scope="row"| Soji Yamamoto ||1996 ||2005 || ||
|-
| Japan
|scope="row"| Shunji Yanai ||2005 ||2023 ||2011–2014 ||
|-
| Bulgaria
|scope="row"| Alexander Yankov ||1996 ||2011 || ||
|-
| China
|scope="row"| Zhao Lihai ||1996 ||2000 || ||
|}
Cases
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+Cases of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
|-
!scope="col" | Case Number
!scope="col" | Name
!scope="col" | Applicant
!scope="col" | Respondent
!scope="col" | Case began
!scope="col" | Case ended
!scope="col" | Disposition
|-
| align="center" | 1
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Judgment on prompt release
|-
| align="center" | 2
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Judgment on merits
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center" |3 & 4
| rowspan="2" scope="row" | Southern Bluefin Tuna Cases
| align="center" |
| rowspan="2" align="center" |
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" | Order on provisional measures
|-
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 5
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Judgment on prompt release
|-
| align="center" | 6
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Judgment on prompt release
|-
| align="center" | 7
| scope="row" |
| colspan="2" align="center" | /
|
|
| Terminated at request of parties
|-
| align="center" | 8
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Judgment on prompt release
|-
| align="center" | 9
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Terminated at request of parties
|-
| align="center" | 10
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Order on provisional measures
|-
| align="center" | 11
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Judgment on prompt release
|-
| align="center" | 12
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Order on provisional measures
|-
| align="center" | 13
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Judgment on prompt release
|-
| align="center" | 14
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Judgment on prompt release
|-
| align="center" | 15
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Judgment on prompt release
|-
| align="center" | 16
| scope="row" |
| colspan="2" align="center" | /
|
|
| Judgment on merits
|-
| align="center" | 17
| scope="row" | Responsibilities and Obligations of States Sponsoring Persons and Entities with Respect to Activities in the Area
| colspan="2" align="center" | International Seabed Authority
|
|
| Advisory opinion
|-
| align="center" | 18
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Judgment on merits
|-
| align="center" | 19
| scope="row" |
| colspan="2" align="center" | /
|
|
| Judgment on merits
|-
| align="center" | 20
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Order on provisional measures
|-
| align="center" | 21
| scope="row" | Request for an Advisory Opinion submitted by the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC)
| colspan="2" align="center" | Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission
|
|
| Advisory opinion
|-
| align="center" | 22
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Order on provisional measures
|-
| align="center" | 23
| scope="row" |
| colspan="2" align="center" | /
|
|
| Judgment on merits
|-
| align="center" | 24
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Order on provisional measures
|-
| align="center" | 25
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Judgment on merits
|-
| align="center" | 26
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Order on provisional measures
|-
| align="center" | 27
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Order on provisional measures
|-
| align="center" | 28
| scope="row" |
| colspan="2" align="center" | /
|
|
|
|-
| align="center" | 29
| scope="row" |
| colspan="2" align="center" | /
|
|
| Terminated at request of parties
|-
| align="center" | 30
| scope="row" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|
|
| Terminated at request of applicant
|-
| align="center" | 31
| scope="row" | Request for an Advisory Opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law
| colspan="2" align="center" | Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law
|
| 21 May 2024
| Advisory Opinion
|-
| align="center" | 32
|The M/T "Heroic Idun" (No. 2) Case
| colspan="2" align="center" | /
|27 April 2023
|Ongoing
|
|-
| align="center" | 33
|The “Zheng He” Case
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
|3 June 2024
|16 March 2026
|Terminated at request of parties
|}
References
</references>
External links
- International Foundation for the Law of the Sea
- "Privileges and Immunities", ITLOS