CIL-ICPC Workshop on the
Protection of Submarine Cables

14-15 April 2011 | International Workshop

CIL and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) jointly organised a 1 ½ day Workshop on the Protection of Submarine Cables on 14-15 April 2011. The Workshop began on the last day of the ICPC Annual Plenary Meeting in Singapore from 12-14 April 2011.

The objectives of the Workshop were to increase awareness among Governments in the region about the problems in the protection of fibre optic submarine cables (submarine cables) and to discuss concrete measures that the cable industry, governments and international organizations can take to protect submarine cables. The Workshop also continued the momentum generated by CIL’s 2009 Workshop on Submarine Cables and Law of the Sea and the 7 December 2010 UNGA omnibus resolution on oceans and law of the sea.

The Workshop was co-chaired by CIL Director Robert Beckman and ICPC international legal advisor Douglas Burnett. More than 150 invited representatives from the cable industry, Governments, international organizations and academia attended the Workshop. Government participants included representatives from 9 of the 10 ASEAN Member States, China, India, Australia and New Zealand. Representatives from the UN Division on Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS), the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also participated.

Provisional Co-Chair’s Report

The Co-Chairs’ Provisional Report on the Workshop by CIL Director Robert Beckman and ICPC international legal advisor Douglas Burnett can be found here. It contains recommendations on future action needed for the protection of submarine cables, based on the discussions during the Workshop.

Selected Documents on Submarine Cables

CIL prepared selected documents on submarine cables for Workshop Participants. The Selected Documents include international conventions relating to submarine cables, other relevant documents such as UN Resolutions and IMO Circulars as well as examples of national legislation implementing UNCLOS provisions on submarine cables. The Selected Documents are available here.

PowerPoint Presentations and Papers

For a list of papers and presentations downloadable in PDF format, please click here.

Flyer and Detailed Programme

For the Workshop flyer, click here.

For the full programme of the Workshop, click here.

Submarine Cables Research Project

For information about CIL’s research project on submarine cables, please click here.

2009 CIL Workshop on Submarine Cables and Law of the Sea

On 14-15 December 2009, CIL organised and hosted a Workshop on Submarine Cables and the Law of the Sea in close cooperation with the International Cables Protection Committee (ICPC). The workshop brought together experts from the cable industry, experts on the law of the sea and government representatives from the region to examine the practice of industry and governments on submarine cables in light of the legal regime governing submarine cables that is set out in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Topics discussed included:

• Planning and Surveying Cable Routes
• Permits for the Laying, Maintenance & Repair of Cables
• Damage to Cables from Fishing and Indiscriminate Anchoring
• Laws to Prevent the Damage or Destruction of Cables

For more information about the 2009 Workshop, including the Workshop report and PowerPoint presentations, click here.