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

• 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: Protest at Sea; Coastal States Rights; Exclusive Economic Zone; Prirazlomnaya; Arctic; Pechora; Pechora Sea
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2177-70552019000100032

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.