CIL actively participated in the 29th Annual Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy, which was held on the Greek island of Rhodes from 28 June to 17 July 2026. The Rhodes Academy is an intensive three-week summer course on the principles and practice of modern ocean law taught by leading international jurists, academics, government officials, and legal practitioners.

The distinguished faculty at this year’s Academy included Judge Tomas Heidar of Iceland, President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), alongside prominent international law scholars and experts. The 2026 session brought together 55 participants from across the globe, including government officials, academics, legal practitioners, and PhD candidates.

The NUS Centre for International Law played a central role in the faculty, academic programming, and examination process during Week 3 of the Academy. Prof. Robert Beckman delivered core lectures on UNCLOS, IMO, and the Marine Environment, Protection of Critical Underwater Infrastructure, and a joint lecture with Andrew Loewenstein on UNCLOS, IMO & the "Shadow Fleet". Dr Tara Davenport gave specialised lectures on the Overview of Part XI Regime on Deep Sea Mining and Recent Developments in Deep Sea Mining. Dr Davenport and Prof. Beckman also assessed a workshop in Week 3 on Area-Based Management Tools (ABMTs) on the High Seas along with Dr David Freestone (Executive Secretary of the Sargasso Sea Commission).

A major highlight of Week 3 was a high-level panel discussion examining the recent ICJ and ITLOS advisory opinions on climate change, featuring insights from Dr David Freestone, Dr James Harrison, Andrew Loewenstein, and Prof. Alina Miron. Prof. Robert Beckman served as a judge on the oral examination panel during the final days of the course alongside Dr David Freestone, Prof. Alina Miron, and Andrew Loewenstein.

Two CIL staff members, Chau Do (Carla) and Bikashita Choudhury, attended the 29th Rhodes Academy as participants and received their Diplomas at the Awards Ceremony, which was held on the grounds of the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, a medieval castle in the city of Rhodes. Among the Singapore delegation, Tan Wen-Yi from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Singapore, received the award for being the top student in the written examination.

The Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy is a cooperative undertaking by international law experts and sponsoring institutions, including the NUS Centre for International Law (CIL), the Law of the Sea Institute of Iceland, the Aegean Institute of the Law of the Sea and Maritime Law, the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law, the Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea at Utrecht University, and the University of New Hampshire. Its primary mission is to foster a broader common understanding of contemporary ocean law and promote the rule of law across the world’s oceans.