Navigation Rights under UNCLOS –Application in the Arctic ... · Part 1 –Navigation Rights under UNCLOS UNCLOS –A Constitution for the Oceans The United Nations Convention on

NavigationRightsunderUNCLOS– ApplicationintheArcticOcean

TheRussianFarEast,ArcticandChina:ReshapingNortheastAsiainthe21stCentury?

25-26May2017,Cambridge

DrZhenSunCentreforInternationalLawNationalUniversityofSingapore

United States Department of State 2015

Outline

Part1– NavigationRightsunderUNCLOS

§ MaritimeZonesunderUNCLOS

§ InnocentPassage,TransitPassage,ArchipelagicSeaLanePassage,FreedomofNavigation

Part2– ApplicationintheArcticOcean

§ AdherencetoUNCLOS

§ Article234Ice-CoveredArea

Part3– ChallengesofNationalClaims– Russia


UNCLOS– AConstitutionfortheOceans

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Ø Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (1973-1982)

Ø Entered into force on 16 November 1994

Ø 168 Parties

§ 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI

§ 1995 Agreement relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks

§ Prep-Com on Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the UNCLOS on the Conservation and Sustainable use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ)


The Area

200 M

Sea Level

12 M Contiguous zone

Territorialsea

12 M

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Water Column, Sea-bed, Subsoil

Rise Deep Ocean

Inte

rnal

wat

ers

Terri

toria

l Sea

Bas

elin

e(Extended

Continental Shelf)

Continental ShelfSea-bed, Subsoil, Sedentary Species

High Sea

Shelf

LowerSlope

Animation by Arsana & Schofield, 2012

UpperSlope Plateu

orTerrace

MaritimeZonesunderUNCLOS


Indonesian Archipelagic Sea Lanes

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/indonesia/images/map-sea-lanes-1.gif

The Straits of Malacca and Singapore

www.mpa.gov.sg


InnocentPassageTerritorialSea

TransitPassageStraitsusedforInternational

Navigation

ArchipelagicSeaLanesPassage

ArchipelagicWaters

FreedomofNavigationEEZ(ContiguousZone)&

HighSeas

NavigationRights

Principles of exercising rights and fulfilling duties under UNCLOS

1) Peaceful uses of the sea; Good faith and non-abuse of rights;

2) Compliance with generally accepted international rules & regs;

Part1– NavigationRightsunderUNCLOSRightsoftheCoastalState

InnocentPassage TransitPassage FreedomofNavigation

1)Adoptlawsandregulationsonsafetyofnavigation,pollutionpreventionetc,notapplytoCDEMotherthaninternationalrules;2)DesignatesealanesandTSS;3)Preventnon-innocentpassage;4)Temporarysuspension;5)Non-discriminativechargesforspecificservices;

1)Designate(adoptedbyIMO)sealanesandprescribetrafficseparationschemes;2)Adoptnon-discriminativelawsandregulationsrelatingtothesafetyofnavigation,theprevention,reductionandcontrolofpollution,bygivingeffecttoapplicableinternationalregulations;

1) Jurisdictionovertheprotectionandpreservationofmarineenvironment;2)Adoptlawsandregulationsconformingtoandgivingeffecttogenerallyacceptedinternationalrulesandstandards;3) Rightofvisit&hotpursuit;


DutiesoftheCoastalState


1)Shall dulypublishadoptedlaws&regs;

2)ShallclearlyindicatedesignatedsealanesandTSSonduly publishedcharts;

3)Shallnothampertheinnocentpassage;

4)Shallgiveappropriatepublicitytoanyknowndangerto navigation;

1)Shall dulypublishadoptedlaws&regs;

2)ShallclearlyindicatedesignatedsealanesandTSSonduly publishedcharts;

3)Shallnothampertransitpassage;

4)Shallgiveappropriatepublicitytoanyknowndangertonavigation;

ShallhavedueregardtotherightsanddutiesofotherStates;


RightsoftheOtherStatesInnocentPassage TransitPassage FreedomofNavigation

1)ShipsofallStates enjoytherighttonavigatethroughcontinuouslyandexpeditiously;

2)Passageincludesincidentalstoppingandanchoringundercertaincircumstances;

Allshipsandaircraftenjoythefreedomofnavigationandoverflightsolelyforthepurposeofcontinuousandexpeditioustransitofthestrait;

All Statesenjoythefreedomsofnavigation,andotherinternationallylawfulusesoftheseaassociatedtoit;


DutiesoftheOtherStates


1)Shallnotbeprejudicialtopeace,goodorderorsecurity;

2)Submarinesmustsurfaceandshowtheirflag;

3) Shallcomplywith domesticlawsandregs;

4)Shallcomplywith TSS;

5)Carrydocumentsandobservespecialprecautionarymeasures;

1)Refrainfromanyactivitiesotherthannormalmodesoftransit;

2) Shallcomplywithgenerallyacceptedinternationalregsonthesafetyatseaandpollution-prevention;

3) Shallcomplywithdomesticlawsandregs;

4)Shallcomplywith TSS;

1)IntheEEZ:

a)DueregardtotherightsanddutiesofthecoastalState;

b)Complywiththerelevantdomesticlawsandregs;

2)Onthehighseas:dueregard


Recap

All navigation rights must be exercised within the framework of UNCLOS;

Coastal State’s right over foreign ships decreases as they sail further from its coast;

Beyond the limit of territorial sea, the freedom of navigation prevails;Generally, the international rules and standards are the maximum requirement that the coastal State may enforce over foreign ships, but they are the minimum requirement that the flag State has to enforce;


2008 Ilulissat

Declaration

Arctic Five Coastal

States committed to the

legal framework

established by UNCLOS.

The five coastal States

have a stewardship role

in protecting.


Article234Ice-CoveredAreas

Coastal States have the right to adopt and enforce non-discriminatorylaws and regulations for the prevention, reduction and control ofmarine pollution from vessels in ice-covered areas within the limits ofthe [EEZ], where particularly severe climatic conditions and the presenceof ice covering such areas for most of the year create obstructions orexceptional hazards to navigation, and pollution of the marineenvironment could cause major harm to or irreversible disturbance ofthe ecological balance. Such laws and regulations shall have due regardto navigation and the protection and preservation of the marineenvironment based on the best available scientific evidence.


ApplicationofArticle234

• Application of the laws: within the EEZ, including the territorial seaand internal waters?

• Most of the year: how to define? Does drifting ice considered ice-covered?

• What are the standards to decide ‘obstructions or exceptionalhazards to navigation’, ‘major harm’ and ‘irreversible disturbance ofthe ecological balance’?

• How to define ‘the best available scientific evidence’?

Part3– ChallengesofNationalClaims

Russia

PartytoUNCLOS;

Combinationofbothnormal&straightbaselines;

Claimed12MTS,200MEEZ/CS/ECS;

MaritimeboundarieswithUSandNorway;

https://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/resources/arctic/


2009BasicsoftheStatePolicyoftheRussianFederationintheArcticforthePeriodtill2020andforaFurtherPerspective

2012TheFederalLawofShippingontheWaterAreaoftheNSR

2012TheFederalLawN287-FZ‘TheLawonProtectionoftheSea’

2013RulesofNavigationintheWaterAreaoftheNSR

Domestic Legislation


Russia’spractice

– Permit-basedprocedure

– Notificationandreporting

– IcebreakerassistanceandicepilotageprovidedbyRussianflagvesselonly

– Feesdependonservice

– Enforcementovernon-compliance

The Northern Sea Route Administrationhttp://www.nsra.ru/en/granici_smp/

Conclusions

§ State’smaritimezoneclaimsintheArcticoceanneedto

beconsistentwithUNCLOS;

§ ApplicationofArticle234;

§Nationalregulationvs.internationalregulationonthe

safetyofnavigationandship-sourcepollution(Polar

Code);

© Copyright National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved.

THANK YOU

Dr Zhen SunResearch FellowCentre for International [email protected]

Documents

Navigation Rights under UNCLOS –Application in the Arctic ... · Part 1 –Navigation Rights under UNCLOS UNCLOS –A Constitution for the Oceans The United Nations Convention on