Protest at Sea: the Arctic Sunrise Case and the clarification of Coastal States Rights

Abstract Protests at sea are more and more a tool used by non-governmental organizations to put pressure on the coastal States to give up exploration and exploitation of oil in the Arctic. However, regardless of their good intentions or the brightness of the banners flying, those protests could conf...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Silveira,Paula de Castro, Garbaccio,Grace Ladeira
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2177-70552019000100032
Description
Summary:Abstract Protests at sea are more and more a tool used by non-governmental organizations to put pressure on the coastal States to give up exploration and exploitation of oil in the Arctic. However, regardless of their good intentions or the brightness of the banners flying, those protests could configure a severe threat to coastal States sights, as well as a real danger to the environment. Having that in mind, it is of extreme importance to understand how coastal States could lawfully act in the face of a protest of this kind. One of the most critically important cases concerning these types of events occurred in 2013 when Greenpeace activists engaged in a protest at the Russian Oil Installations, the Prirazlomnaya, located on Russia´s continental shelf in the Pechora Sea, within Russia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This case resulted in relevant jurisprudence. In this article we will analyze the case and its importance to clarify the extent of Coastal State´s jurisdiction regarding a protest at sea that could interfere with exploration and exploitation activities.