Researchers' Activities

CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard participated in the Summer Academy on the Continental Shelf, held at Torshavn, Faroe Islands on 21-28 June 2014. The Academy was organized by the University of the Faroe Islands. The Academy focused on the intricate legal and technical conditions governing the entitlement to and establishment of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, and on the delimitation of overlapping entitlements to such areas.

CIL Research Associate Zhen Sun participated in the Second Asia Pacific Ocean Law Institutions Alliance (APOLIA) Conference, ‘After 20 Years of Implementation of UNCLOS by Asian Pacific States’, from 20-21 June 2014. The Conference was organised by the Centre for Ocean Law and Governance, Zhejiang University and the Korea Maritime Institute. Zhen delivered a presentation on Singapore’s implementation of UNCLOS, where she addressed the issues of Singapore’s international boundaries with its neighbouring countries and Singapore’s practice regarding IMO conventions. She also participated as a discussant at the International Symposium on ‘Sustainable Development and the Law of the Sea’ from 22-23 June 2014.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons and CIL Student Researcher Shariza Abdul Sani participated in the 2014 Indonesia Abandonment and Site Restoration on Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition, in Bandung, Indonesia on 5-6 June 2014. Youna Lyons made a presentation on the legal and policy issues surrounding rigs-to-reefs placement in Southeast Asia. For a link to the presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman gave a lecture on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea at the Regional MARSEC Conference organised by Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) from 2-6 June 2014.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons participated in the 28th Asia-Pacific Roundtable on 3-4 June 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She made a plenary presentation on ‘Enhancing the Sharing of Scientific Data on Marine Resources, Marine Habitats and Uses in the SCS’ as part of the session entitled, “Beyond Territoriality: Managing the Maritime Commons in the South China Sea”. For a link to the presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr. Hao Duy Phan participated at the 11th Annual Asian Law Institute (ASLI) Conference – “Law in Asia: Balancing Tradition and Modernization” on 29-30 May 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Conference was jointly organized by the University of Malaya and the Asian Law Institute (ASLI). At the Conference, Dr. Hao Duy Phan made a presentation on ASEAN and Maritime Security. He also chaired a session on Environmental Law. To download Dr. Hao Duy Phan’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and Captain Roach served as academic experts at the 2nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Seminar on UNCLOS, which was co-organised by Australia and the Philippines. Professor Beckman made presentations on “Rights and Responsibilities of States on the High Seas and in the Exclusive Economic Zone” (download in PDF) and on “Legal Framework for Joint Development in the South China Sea” (download in PDF). Captain Roach made presentations on “Freedom of Navigation and Overflight” (download in PDF) and on “ITLOS Provisional Measures and Prompt Release” (download in PDF).

CIL Director Robert Beckman and Captain Roach served as experts in the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Workshop on UNCLOS and Maritime Security in East Asia, which was organised by US CSCAP and CSCAP Philippines. Professor Beckman made a presentation on “UNCLOS and Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment” (download in PDF). Captain Roach made a presentation on “UNCLOS and Freedom of Navigation” (download in PDF).

CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard participated in the South China Sea Panel: Current Disputes and Possible Future Outcomes of the Multi-Dimensional Conflict, held at the Asian Civilization Museum, Singapore on 26 May 2014. The Panel was organized by Singapore’s American Chamber of Commerce. Leo joined the panel where he addressed legal issues associated with current state of disputes in the South China Sea.

CIL Director Robert Beckman gave lectures on the law of the sea to navy officers in the RSIS graduate course on Maritime Security Studies.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on 30 April 2014 in a panel on Aerial Defence Identification Zones (ADIZs) at the 27th Annual International Military Law and Operations (MILOPS) Engagement organized by the US Pacific Command, which was held from 27 April – 2 May 2014 at the Diamond Hotel, Manila, Philippines. To view the slides from his presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Associate Monique Page were invited to attend the annual meeting of the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Prof Beckman made a presentation on ‘UNCLOS and the 2012 OSPAR Guidelines on BEP in Cable Laying and Operation’.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the Norway-Singapore Arctic Symposium at the Riverview Hotel on 14 March 2014. The symposium was organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Norwegian Embassy and the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI). The keynote speaker was Else Berit Eikeland, Norway’s senior Arctic official in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prof Beckman made a presentation on “UNCLOS and Prevention of Pollution in the Arctic”. For a copy of his presentation, click here.

CIL staff organised and participated in the ‘International Conference on Transboundary Pollution: Evolving Issues of International Law and Policy’. The conference was held at the Orchard Hotel, Singapore. Prof Tommy Koh and Prof S Jayakumar served as co-chairs of the conference. CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper on ‘State Responsibility for Transboundary Marine Pollution’, CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons presented a paper on ‘Transboundary Pollution from Offshore Activities: A Study of the Montara Offshore Oil Spill’, and Prof Alan Tan presented a paper on ‘Co-operative and Unilateral Mechanisms to Combat Forest Fires and Transboundary Haze’ in Southeast Asia. CIL Senior Research Fellow Hao Duy Phan played a major role in organising the Conference. CIL Research Staff Members Hao Duy Phan, Monique Page, Leonardo Bernard, Ranyta Yusran and Zhen Sun served as rapporteurs of the Conference, while Yvette Anthony served as Master of Ceremony. For more information on the Conference, please click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Associate Monique Page attended a CSCAP Experts Group Meeting on Security of Vital Undersea Communications Infrastructure on Monday 17 February in Jakarta. On Tuesday 18 February they will be attending a meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on Maritime Security. CSCAP is Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP). The Study Group is co-chaired by CSCAP Singapore, CSCAP Indonesia and CSCAP New Zealand. Prof Beckman will be making presentations at both of the meetings. For a copy of his presentation at the CSCAP Experts Group Meeting, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman visited the International Boundaries Research Unit (IBRU) of Durham University in order to discuss continued links between IBRU and CIL. While at the University, Prof Beckman also met with members of the Faculty of Law.

On 5 April 2013 CIL research staff had a roundtable discussion on the South China Sea Disputes with research staff of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) at their offices in Washington. The CIL delegation included CIL Director Robert Beckman, CIL researchers Tara Davenport and Leo Bernard, and Ambassador Arif Havas Oegroseno of Indonesia, a member of CIL International Advisory Panel. Prof Beckman began the discussion with a brief presentation, and it was followed by a general discussion. The CIL researchers were in Washington DC to attend the Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law. The roundtable discussion was arranged by Murray Hiebert, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow in the Southeast Asia Program at CSIS.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation titled “Role of ASEAN and the Philippines v China Case” on 4 April 2013 at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law in Washington DC. Prof Beckman served on a Panel on Legal Solutions to Maritime Disputes in Asia, and he spoke about the South China Sea Disputes. The other members of the panel were Rosalyn Higgins, past President of the International Court of Justice; Loretta Malintoppi, Eversheds LLP Paris; and Galo Carrera Hurtado, Member of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The Panel was chaired by Prof Nilufer Oral of the Faculty of Law of Istanbul Bilgi University. For a copy of Prof Beckman’s PowerPoint slides in PDF format, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the Five Universities Conference 2013 organised by the LKY School of Public Policy. He made a presentation on ‘Dispute Settlement Mechanisms and the South China Sea Disputes’.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in a Roundtable on Maritime Security in East Asia.The Roundtable was organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore. Prof Beckman made a presentation on ‘International Law & Maritime Security in East Asia’.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons played a key role as CIL’s point person in organising a marine science, engineering, law and policy workshop entitled ‘Rigs-to-Reefs Prospects for Large Scale Artificial Reefs in Tropical Southeast Asian Seas’. The Workshop was organised jointly by CIL, the NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) and the NUS Centre for Offshore Engineering (CORE). CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on ‘The International Legal Regime Governing the Disposal and Re-Use of Offshore Platforms’. Youna Lyons made a presentation on ‘Rigs-to-Reef in Southeast Asia: Legal and Policy Issues’. For more information and their presentations, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the 5th International Workshop on the South China Sea in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Workshop was organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and its title was ‘The South China Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development’. Prof Beckman presented a paper entitled ‘Disputed Areas in the South China Sea’. For a copy of his presentation, click here. For a copy of his draft paper, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited as a speaker to the 2013 APAC Offshore Decommissioning Training Workshop organized by DecomWorld. She was a member of the regulatory panel and made a presentation on the international legal framework for rigs-to-reefs (download in PDF format) and on International law on offshore decommissioning in Southeast Asia (download in PDF format).

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in a conference organised by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Haikou, Hainan, China. The title of the conference was ‘The South China Sea: UNCLOS and State Practice’. Prof Beckman presented a paper entitled ‘The UNCLOS Dispute Settlement System’. For a copy of his presentation, click here. For a copy of his draft paper, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the APEC Workshop on ‘Enhancing Supply Chain Connectivity: Submarine Telecommunications Cable Resilience in the Asia-Pacific Region’. The Workshop was organised by Australia and held at the Pullman Bali Legian Nirwanna, Bali Indonesia. Prof Beckman made a presentation on the international obligations of governments to protect submarine telecommunications cables. For a copy of his presentation, click here. CIL Research Associate Monique Page also participated in the Workshop.