The Importance of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has its headquarters in Hamburg, Germany. It started its work in 1996 and has since been recognized as a valuable institution for the settlement of international disputes concerning the law of the sea. Dispute settlement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Se a (UNCLOS) is compulsory. Yet, states have flexibility to choose either the ITLOS, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or arbitration to settle their disputes. With more than 20 contentious cases and two advisory opinions the ITLOS has contributed to a harmonized interpretation and application of the Convention.