Prof Robert Beckman participated in the 13th Global Ocean Regime Conference at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Korea
On 3-5 November 2025, Prof Robert Beckman participated in the 13th Global Ocean Regime Conference at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Korea. The theme of the conference was “The Law of the Sea and the Blue Economy in the Age of Climate Crisis: Emerging Challenges”. Three of the sessions were on this theme, but there was also a Special Session entitled “Protecting Submarine Cables: Legal Gaps and Global Imperatives”.
Prof Beckman made a presentation in the Special Session. He focussed on the legal challenges under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for coastal States that want to address threats to submarine cables and other critical underwater infrastructure from foreign ships in their exclusive economic zone (EEZ). He pointed out that the general principle governing ships outside the territorial sea of a coastal State is that they are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the flag State. He summarized the legal provisions in UNCLOS and emphasised the fact that article 113 of 1982 UNCLOS imposes an obligation on flag States to make it a criminal offence if a ship flying their flag breaks a submarine cable or pipeline either intentionally or through culpable negligence. He pointed out that very few flag States have enacted domestic legislation implementing this obligation. Prof Beckman then summarized the arguments that are being put forward to permit coastal States to arrest a foreign ship in its EEZ that is suspected of breaking a cable or pipeline that lands in the coastal State.
In his presentation Prof Beckman also pointed out that new cable routes cables between Southeast Asia and the United States do not land in either China or Hong Kong, and that cable companies are avoiding laying cables in disputed maritime areas such as the South China Sea. During the discussion Prof Beckman maintained that the issues cannot be addressed unless there is much greater inter-agency cooperation at the national and regional levels as well as greater cooperation between the cable industry and governments.