Seabed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

The present Case Analysis seeks to discuss the main points of the Advisory Opinion of the Seabed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea on the Responsibilities and obligations of states, sponsoring persons and entities with respect to activities in the Area. The Opinion addresses a number of important issues that range from the analysis of the environmental obligations of states under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to the analysis of the due diligence criterion in the context of the activities in the Area. All of these significant issues are discussed in the analysis. The Advisory Opinion is important in the sense that the Seabed Disputes Chamber did indeed answer in great detail all of the questions the Council of the International Seabed Authority posed. The result will certainly help to develop a better understanding of the sponsoring states' obligations with respect to the Area.