Between 2001 and 2002 the Maritime Institute of the Universiteit Gent and the Centre for International Law of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel joined efforts and hosted Emeritus Professor Dermott Devine as holder of the International Francqui Chair, around the central themes of fisheries and coastal state jurisdiction with respect to marine pollution. As Emeritus Director of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Law, Professor Devine was available for discussion and participation in the scientific life of the different Belgian universities having similar fields of interest. Within this context six classes of excellence were organized with the participation of interested Belgian colleagues across the board, belonging to universities adhering to different basic philosophies and even forming part of different linguistic communities. These classes culminated in a final symposium where Professor Devine gave a birds-eye view of the general theme, overarching and synthesizing the different subjects covered during the previous classes of excellence. This book offers a reworked compilation of all the contributions of the key-note speakers to the classes of excellence.

The oceans cover more than seventy per cent of the surface of the planet and they provide many vital ecosystem services. However, the health of the world's oceans has been deteriorating over the past decades and the protection of the marine environment has emerged as one of the most pressing legal and political challenges for the international community. An effective solution depends upon the cooperation of all states towards achieving agreed objectives. This book provides a critical assessment of the role that international law plays in this process, by explaining and evaluating the various legal instruments that have been negotiated in this area, as well as key trends in global ocean governance. Starting with a detailed analysis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the book considers the main treaties and other legal texts that seeks to prevent, reduce, and control damage to the marine environment caused by navigation, seabed exploitation, fishing, dumping, and land-based activities, as well as emerging pressures such as ocean noise and climate change. The book demonstrates how international institutions have expanded their mandates to address a broader range of marine environmental issues, beyond basic problems of pollution control to include the conservation of marine biological diversity and an ecosystems approach to regulation. It also discusses the development of diverse regulatory tools to address anthropogenic impacts on the marine environment and the extent to which states have adopted a precautionary approach in different maritime sectors. Whilst many advances have been made in these matters, this book highlights the need for greater coordination between international institutions, as well as the desirability of developing stronger enforcement mechanisms for international environmental rules.

Considering that natural resources or green capital are the drivers of globalisation, this book focuses on the link between investment, trade and natural resource management in the context of the growing economic inequalities between states.

Modern Treatment Strategies for Marine Pollution provides an overview of assessment tools that identify contaminants in marine water, also discussing the latest technologies for removing these contaminants. Through templated and consistently structured chapters, the author explores the importance of seawater to our marine ecosystems and the devastating effects pollutants are causing. Sections cover the emission of toxic pollutants from industries, wastewater discharge, oil spills from boarding ships, ballast water emission, abnormal growth of algal blooms, and more. Techniques explored include huge diameter pipelines erected for removing floating debris from seawater, which is denoted as a primary idea for cleaning contaminants. The book includes numerous case studies that demonstrate how these tools can be successfully used. It is an essential read for marine ecologists and oceanographers at the graduate level and above, but is also ideal for those looking to incorporate these techniques into their own work. - Presents and discusses advanced technologies used in the treatment of marine water - Includes case studies to show what techniques have been successful - Provides new information on contamination assessment and analytical protocols for identifying pollutants, which is essential for readers to use in their own work

The third edition of this classic textbook offers comprehensive and critical commentary on international environmental law. It fully covers the key topics of the course and is clearly structured to include the history and framework in which international environmental law exists, key areas of regulation and implementation, links to other areas of law and future developments. It has been updated to incorporate all the latest developments in treaty and case law. Extensive feedback on previous editions results in a restructuring of material, including a new part focused on linkage to other areas of international law including human rights, international trade and foreign investment. There is also a new chapter on future developments charting the directions in which the subject is moving. Specialist authors writing on oceans, seas and fisheries and biodiversity add to the expertise of the two principal authors for an authoritative overview of the subject.

Major law and policy issues in the South China Sea are discussed mainly from the perspectives of leading American and European scholars in the study of the complex South China Sea disputes. The issues include regional maritime cooperation and regime building, Southeast Asian countries’ responses to the Chinese assertiveness, China’s historic claims, maritime boundary delimitation and excessive maritime claims, military activities and the law of the sea, freedom of navigation and its impact on the problem, the dispute between Vietnam and China, confidence-building measures and U.S.-Taiwan-China relations in the South China Sea, and Taiwan’s role in the resolution to the South China Sea issues. Over the past three years, there have been several incidents in the South China Sea between the claimants, and also between the claimants and non-claimants over fisheries, collection of seismic data, exploration for oil and gas resources, and exercise of freedom of navigation. Third party concerns and involvement in the South China Sea disputes have been increasing as manifested in actions taken by the United States, India, and Japan. It is therefore important to examine South China Sea disputes from the legal and political perspective and from the view point of American and European experts who have been studying South China Sea issues for many years.

Originally published in Russian, this book is the first major Russian treatise on the international law of the sea in the post-Soviet era. The book covers the legal status and legal regime of the sea expanses and follows their classification in the 1982 United Nations Convention. In addition, a separate section is devoted to the legal status of the Caspian Sea. The author analyzes in-depth the international legal norms regulating the preservation of the marine environment and concludes that a system of international cooperation is essential both in the sphere of navigation and economic exploitation of oceanic resources. Extensive attention is given to Russian practice. As Russia plays a central and influential role in world maritime policy, a book that specifically deals with Russian approaches in this field cannot fail to be of importance to anyone interested in the law of the sea.