Profile - Centre for International Law

Profile

Robert Beckman is the Co-Head of the Ocean Law and Policy programme of the Centre for International Law (CIL) and was the founding Director of CIL. He is also an Emeritus Professor at the NUS Faculty of Law, where he taught Ocean Law & Policy for many years. He currently teaches a course in International Regulation of Shipping at the NUS Faculty of Law. Since 2009 he has lectured in the summer programme at the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy in Rhodes, Greece, and he is a member of the Governing Board for the Rhodes Academy. He has published widely on ocean law and policy issues. He is also a Senior Advisor to the Maritime Security Programme of the Institute for Defence & Strategic Studies (IDSS) at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He has been nominated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam as an Arbitrator under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Research Interests
- Ocean Law & Policy
- Piracy and Maritime Security
- International Regulation of Shipping
- Marine Environmental Law
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
- Beckman, R C and C Schofield, “Defining EEZ Claims from Islands: A Potential South China Sea Change”. International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, 29, no. 2 (2014): 193-243. (Netherlands).
- Beckman, R C, “The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Maritime Disputes in the South China Sea”. American Journal of International Law, Vol. 107:142 (2013): 142-163. (United States)
- Beckman, R C, “The South China Sea: the evolving dispute between China and her maritime neighbours”. Geomatics World, (2013). (United Kingdom).
Editorial Work on Books
- Jayakumar, S, T Koh, R C Beckman and H D Phan, eds., Transboundary Pollution: Evolving Issues of International Law and Policy, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015. 403 pp.
- Norquist, M H, JN Moore, R C Beckman and R Long, eds., Freedom of Navigation and Globalization, Center for Oceans Law and Policy, vol. 18, ed. Myron H. Nordquist and John Norton Moore. Leiden: Brill Nijhoff Publishers, 2014. 320 pp.
- Jayakumar, S, T Koh and R C Beckman, eds., The South China Sea Disputes and Law of the Sea, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2014. 281 pp.
- Burnett, D, R C Beckman, T M Davenport, eds., Submarine Cables: The Handbook of Law and Policy, Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2014. 437 pp.
- Beckman, R C, I Townsend-Gault, C Schofield, T Davenport and L Bernard, eds. Beyond Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea: Legal Framework for the Joint Development of Hydrocarbon Resources, Cheltenham: Edwar Elgar Publishing, 2013. 351 pp.
- Beckman, R C and J Ashley Roach, eds., Piracy and International Maritime Crimes in ASEAN: Prospects for Cooperation, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012. 300 pp.
Book Chapters
- Beckman, R C, “State Responsibility and Transboundary Marine Pollution”. In Transboundary Pollution: Evolving Issues of International Law and Policy, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015. 25 pp.
- Beckman, R C, “The Philippines v. China Case and the South China Sea Disputes”. In Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea: Navigating Rough Waters, ed. Jing Huang and Andrew Billo. Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan, 2014. 12 pp.
- Beckman, R C, “Responsibility of Flag States for Pollution of the Marine Environment: The Relevance of the UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Regime”. In Freedom of Navigation and Globalization, Center for Oceans Law and Policy, vol. 18, ed. M H Norquist, J N Moore, R C Beckman and R Long, 20 pp.
- Beckman, R C, “UNCLOS Part XV and the South China Sea”. In The South China Sea Disputes and Law of the Sea, ed. S Jayakumar, T Koh, R Beckman, 229-264. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2014. 35 pp.
- Beckman, R C and M Page, “Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships”. In The Handbook of Security, 2 ed., ed. Martin Gill, 234-255. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. 21 pp.
- Beckman, R C, “Protecting Submarine Cables from Intentional Damage – The Security Gap” In Submarine Cables: The Handbook of Law and Policy, ed. D R Burnett, R C Beckman, and T M Davenport, 281-300. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2014. 20 pp.
- Burnett, D, R C Beckman and T Davenport, “Overview of the International Legal Regime Governing Submarine Cables “. In Submarine Cables: The Handbook of Law and Policy, ed. D R Burnett, R C Beckman, and T M Davenport, Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2014. 30 pp.
- Burnett, D, R C Beckman and T Davenport, “Introduction. Why Submarine Cables?”. In Submarine Cables: The Handbook of Law and Policy, ed. D R Burnett, R C Beckman, and T M Davenport, Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2014. 18 pp.
- Beckman, R C, “Jurisdiction over Pirates and Maritime Terrorists “. In The Limits of Maritime Jurisdiction, ed. Clive Schofield, Seokwoo Lee and Moon-Sang Kwon. , Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2014. 24 pp.
- Beckman, R C, “ASEAN and the South China Sea Dispute”. In Entering Uncharted Waters? ASEAN and the South China Sea, ed. Pavin Chachavalpongpun, 15-35. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing, 2014. 20 pp.
- Beckman, R C and L Bernard, “The Use of PSSAs in the South China Sea”. In Securing the Safety of Navigation in East Asia: Legal and Political Dimensions, ed. Shicun Wu and Keyuan Zou. Oxford: Chandos Publishing, 2013. 12 pp.
- Beckman, R C, “Global Legal Regime on the Decommissioning of Offshore Installations and Structures”. In The Regulation of Continental Shelf Development: Rethinking International Standards, ed. M H Nordquist, J N Moore, A Chircop and R Long. Centre for Oceans Law and Policy, vol. 17. Leiden, Boston: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2013. 22 pp.
- Beckman, R C, “Prospects for Joint Development in the South China Sea”. In Cooperation and Development in the South China Sea, ed. Zhigou Gao, Yu Jia , Haiwen Zhang , Jilu Wu. Yulinli Youanmen, Beijing: China Democracy and Legal System Publishing House, 2013. 22 pp.
- Beckman, R C, C Schofield, I Townsend-Gault, T Davenport, and L Bernard, “Moving forward on joint development in the South China Sea”. In Beyond Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea: Legal Frameworks for the Joint Development of Hydrocarbon Resources, ed. R C Beckman, I Townsend-Gault, C Schofield, T Davenport and L Bernard. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013. 21 pp.
- Beckman, R C, C Schofield, I Townsend-Gault, T Davenport, and L Bernard, “Factors conducive to joint development in Asia – lessons learned for the South China Sea”. In Beyond Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea: Legal Frameworks for the Joint Development of Hydrocarbon Resources, ed. R C Beckman, I Townsend-Gault, C Schofield, T Davenport and L Bernard. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013. 30 pp.
- Beckman, R C, C Schofield, I Townsend-Gault, T Davenport, and L Bernard, “Introduction: why joint development in the South China Sea In Beyond Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea: Legal Frameworks for the Joint Development of Hydrocarbon Resources, ed. R C Beckman, I Townsend-Gault, C Schofield, T Davenport and L Bernard. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013. 10 pp.
- Beckman, R C, “International Law, UNCLOS and the South China Sea”. In Beyond Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea: Legal Frameworks for the Joint Development of Hydrocarbon Resources, ed. R C Beckman, I Townsend-Gault, C Schofield, T Davenport and L Bernard. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013. 43 pp.
- Beckman, R C and T M Davenport, “The EEZ Regime Reflections After Thirty Years”. In LOSI Conference Papers, ed. Harry N. Scheiber and Moon Sang Kwon. United States: Berkeley Law School, 2013.
- Beckman, R C, “Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Southeast Asia”. In Modern Piracy: Legal Challenges and Responses, ed. Douglas Guilfoyle. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013. 23 pp.
- Beckman, R C and J Ashley Roach, “Ratification and Implementation of Global Conventions on Piracy and Maritime Crimes”. In Piracy and International Maritime Crimes in ASEAN: Prospects for Cooperation, ed. Robert Beckman and J. Ashley Roach, 224-284. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012. 60 pp.
- Beckman, R C, “The Piracy Regime under UNCLOS: Problems and Prospects for Cooperation”. In Piracy and International Maritime Crimes in ASEAN: Prospects for Cooperation, ed. Robert Beckman and J. Ashley Roach, 1-33. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012. 33 pp.
International – Presentations Accepted for Publication
- Beckman, R C and B LEONARDO, “The Significance of Offshore Geographic Features to Maritime Claims”. International Symposium on the Philippines v. China Arbitration Case: The Efficacy of the Annex VII Tribunal in Resolving Complex Territorial/Maritime Disputes (Invited paper) (21 – 22 Aug 2014, National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Beijing, China)
- Beckman, R C, “State Responsibility for Transboundary Marine Pollution”. International Conference on Transboundary Pollution: Evolving Issues of International Law & Policy (Invited paper) (27 – 28 Feb 2014, National University of Singapore, Singapore)
- Beckman, R C, “Disputed Areas in the South China Sea”. 5th International Workshop on South China Sea (Invited paper) (10 – 12 Nov 2013, Hanoi, Vietnam)
- Beckman, R C, “UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Regime”. The South China Sea: UNCLOS and State Practice (Invited paper) (24 – 25 Oct 2013, Hainan, China)
- Beckman, R C and B LEONARDO, “Disputed Areas in the South China Sea: Prospects for Arbitration or Advisory Opinion”. Third International Workshop “The South China Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development” (Invited paper) ( 3 – 5 Nov 2011, Hanoi, Vietnam)
Others – Published
- Beckman, R C, “Increased Tension and the Risk of Potential Conflict in South China Sea”. Singapore: Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific, 2013.

Emeritus Professor Robert C Beckman