Developments in Maritime Delimitation Law over the Last Decade: Emerging Principles in Modern Case Law

Abstract The delimitation of maritime boundaries is a complex and multifaceted process with legal and technical aspects. The process involves the determination of a maritime boundary in a situation where two or more states are confronted with overlapping titles. In the absence of any precise rules i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Yearbook of international Law/Annuaire canadien de droit international
Main Authors: ACIKGONUL, YUNUS EMRE, LUCAS, EDWARD R.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2020
Subjects:
Law
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cyl.2020.9
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0069005820000090
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Summary:Abstract The delimitation of maritime boundaries is a complex and multifaceted process with legal and technical aspects. The process involves the determination of a maritime boundary in a situation where two or more states are confronted with overlapping titles. In the absence of any precise rules in treaty law and established customary rules based on state practice, it has been left to the jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals to develop the applicable law of maritime boundary delimitation. This article provides a detailed examination of the complex and multifaceted processes involved in maritime delimitation law. In doing so, it highlights recent developments in the field, with an emphasis on the emerging principles of “non-cut-off” and “non-distortion.” The article also analyzes the crystalizing rules on delimitation beyond 200 nautical miles and questions the applicability of these rules to the ongoing maritime boundary dispute between Canada and the United States in the Beaufort Sea.