Joel Ong was invited as a discussant to the Workshop on “Emerging Technologies & the Law of the Sea” at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo, Sweden, on 4-5 June 2024. It was organised by the World Maritime University and Stockton Center for International Law at the U.S. Naval War College and supported by the Transport General Authority of Saudi Arabia.

The proposed workshop considers the relationship between technology and ocean governance and the law of the sea. These issues include the human element and the interaction of technology and seafarers, the regime of marine genetic resources in the High Seas Treaty, deep seabed technologies for the exploitation of seabed minerals, decarbonization of shipping, and secure communications for autonomous ships and the threat of spoofing and jamming of AIS and GPS signals. These issues are related directly to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Invited participants agree to conduct a study of these aspects of emerging technology and the law of the sea, and they will share their knowledge and expertise with the workshop and to provide peer review of other presentations. Furthermore, the discussions will provide an opportunity to engage with and share perspectives with the rich scholarly community of WMU and selected members of the public and area consular missions, will explore the potential impact of these advancements and identify ways to manage their development.

The workshop will provide a platform for attendees to discuss and provide feedback on papers presented by expert speakers.

The extended presentations will be published as chapters in an edited volume with a major academic publisher. This effort is led by Prof. James Kraska and will be titled, “Emerging Technology and the Law of the Sea.”