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.

On 19 September 2013, CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons took part as speaker and facilitator to the Rigs-to-Reef workshop organized by Universiti Technologi Petronas (UTP) Offshore Engineering Centre (OECE) at Impiana KLCC, Kuala Lumpur. She made a presentation on the international legal issues surrounding rigs-to-reefs in Southeast Asia. This presentation which focused on the development of Rigs-to-Reef in Malaysia is a prelude to the regional level workshop on the Prospects for Rigs-to-Reefs in Southeast Asia co-organized by CIL on 12-13 November 2013. To download Youna’s presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard participated at the Conference on Global Ocean Issues and Challenges on 9 September 2013 in Dankook University, Korea. The Conference was organized by the Wooseok Institute of Korean Territory Studies, Dankook University in cooperation with the Korea Institute of Maritime Strategy and SLOC Study Group-Korea. Leo spoke on Cooperative Mechanism in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, which addressed issues associated with current state of maritime cooperation under Article 43 of UNCLOS. Leo was also invited to attend the Conference celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Korea Coast Guard on 11 September 2013 at Incheon, Korea.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons took part at Pacem in Maribus XXXIV in Bangkok, on 5-8 September 2013. Professor Beckman co-chaired the theme 2 of the conference on the implementation of UNCLOS in Southeast Asia and Youna Lyons was co-rapporteur for this theme.

CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard participated at the Conference on Maritime Confidence Building Measure in the South China Sea on 11-13 August 2013 in Sydney, Australia. The Conference was organized by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Leo joined the second panel on Maritime cooperation in the South China Sea, which addressed issues associated with current state of maritime cooperation and prospective areas for cooperation. His presentation was “Joint Development of Oil and Gas Resources in the South China Sea”. To download the draft conference paper, click here.

CIL participated in the 18th session of the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy in Rhodes, Greece as a full sponsor, together with the Center for Oceans Law and Policy, University of Virginia School of Law (Charlottesville, USA); the Aegean Institute of the Law of the Sea and Maritime Law (Rhodes, Greece); the Law of the Sea Institute of Iceland (Reykjavik, Iceland); the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (Heidelberg, Germany); and The Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea, Utrecht University (Utrecht, The Netherlands). CIL Director Robert Beckman lectured at the Academy, where he delivered three seminars on ship-source pollution, non ship-source pollution and the South China Sea disputes and co-supervised a workshop on the international regulation of shipping. He also served as one of the four examiners for the oral examination at the end of the course, together with Judges Wolfrum, Cot and Golitsyn from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. CIL Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan won the Best Oralist Award at the Academy. Dr Hao Duy Phan, CIL Research Associate Monique Page and Cambodian official, Mr. Sok Khavan, participated in the Academy under the sponsorship of CIL.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the ‘CIL Roundtable on the South China Sea Disputes’. The Roundtable was held at the Orchard Hotel, Singapore. Prof Beckman presented a paper on ‘The UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Regime’. CIL Research Fellows Tara Davenport and Leonardo Bernard played a major role in organising the Roundtable, while CIL Research Fellow Hao Duy Phan and CIL Research Associate Monique Page served as rapporteurs. For more information on the Roundtable, please click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard participated at the International Symposium on Peaceful Use of the Sea and Maritime on 22-23 June 2013 in Hangzhou, China. The Conference was organized by Centre for Ocean Law and Governance at Guanghua Law School, Zhengjian University. Prof Beckman and Leo joined the third panel on peaceful means for maritime dispute settlement together with Dustin Kuan-Hsiung Wang from national Taiwan Normal University and Anne Hsiu-An Hsiao from National Chengchi University, Taiwan. Prof Beckman presented a paper on “Framework and Issues for Joint Development of Hydrocarbon Resources”. To download the draft conference paper, click here; and to download the PowerPoint slides, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a lunchtime talk on the South China Sea Disputes for members of the Europe-ASEAN Business Alliance (EABA).

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on Maritime Security and Submarine Cables on 8 June 2013 at a Meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on Maritime Security at the Trader’s Hotel in Singapore. For his presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman chaired a panel on Boundary Disputes Involving Oil & Gas Fields at the Oil & Gas Asia Dispute Resolution Conference at the Shangri-la Hotel in Jakarta on 5 June 2013. The conference was organized by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). The other members of the panel were Will Thomas of the Paris Office of Eversheds, Dominic Roughton of the Tokyo office of Herbert Smith Freehills, and Wesley Harris of the Malaysian office of Royal Dutch Shell.

CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard spoke at the 3rd Annual CSIS South China Sea Conference – “Managing Tensions in the South China Sea” on 5-6 June 2013 in Washington DC, USA. The Conference was organized by the CSIS Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies. Leo joined the last panel on Policy Recommendation to Boost Cooperation in the South China Sea together with Ms Bonnie Glaser, CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies, and Mr Chirstian Le Miere, Senior Research Fellow from the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Leo presented a paper on “Prospects for Joint Development in the South China Sea” which discussed about how claimant States can set aside the dispute to jointly develop the resources in the South China Sea. To download video and audio recording of the panel, please visit CSIS’ website or go to this link here. To download Leo’s draft conference paper, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on The Significance of Islands to Maritime Claims on 4 June 2013 at the 26th Annual International Military Law and Operations (MILOPS) Engagement at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok. The Conference was organized by the US Pacific Command, Hawaii. The Panel on Developments applicable to Regional Maritime Security was chaired by Prof Pete Pedrozo of US Naval War College and included speakers from China, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam. For his presentation, click here.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh‘s message was delivered by CIL Director Robert Beckman to the 37th Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (COLP) on “Global Challenges and Freedom of Navigation” in Seoul, Republic of Korea, 1 May 2013. To download Prof Koh’s message in PDF format, please click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman did an invited presentation on 25 April 2013 on the South China Sea Disputes to the Chinese Students & Scholars Association at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

CIL Director Robert Beckman attended the SubOptic 2013 Conference in Paris on 22-23 April 2013. Professor Beckman served as a presenter in a Masterclass Tutorial on Maritime Jurisdiction and Submarine Telecommunications Marine Activities. The other presenters were Douglas Burnett, the International Law advisor of ICPC, and Graham Evans, a Director of EGS Survey Group.

CIL Director Robert Beckman attended the London International Boundary Conference at the Royal Geographic Society in London from 18-19 April 2013. The Conference was organized by the UK Hydrographic Office, Volterra Fietta and King’s College London and was held at the Royal Geographic Society. Prof Beckman spoke on a panel on the South China Sea and presented on the topic of “The Philippines v China Case and the South China Sea Disputes”. For a copy of his PowerPoint Slides in PDF format, click here.

CIL sponsored a Panel at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) in Washington DC on 5 April 2013, titled “Challenges for ASEAN: The South China Sea, Investment Protection and Myanmar”. Prof Michael Ewing-Chow opened the Panel with discussion on ASEAN legalization, institutionalization and economic law issues facing ASEAN, followed by Ambassador Arif Havas Oegroseno who talked about ASEAN and the South China Sea disputes. CIL’s Research Fellow Tara Davenport then talked about the approach of ASEAN Member States in negotiating and settling maritime boundaries (download her presentation in PDF format). Finally, CIL’s Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li closed the Panel with a discussion of ASEAN’s approach to the human rights situation in Myanmar. The Panel was chaired by Edmund Sim of Appleton & Luff, and co-sponsored by the ASIL Law in Pacific Rim Interest Group and the ASIL International Economic Law Interest Group.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the 9th Japan-Singapore Symposium organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in Tokyo, Japan. Prof Beckman made a presentation on the South China Sea Disputes as part of the panel on ‘Maritime Issues in the Region: Establishment of the Order of the Law of the Sea’.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper entitled “The Philippines v. China Case and the South China Sea Disputes” at a Conference on the South China Sea at the Asia Society in New York from 13-15 March 2015. The Conference was co-organized by the LKY School of Public Policy. To download Prof Beckman’s paper, click here. To download his PowerPoint presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh presented a paper on the topic of “Asia and UNCLOS: Progress, Practice and Problems” (download in PDF format) at the 2012 Yeosu International Conference Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Opening for Signature of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Yeosu EXPO, Republic of Korea.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of UNCLOS. To download it in PDF, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in an international conference on the South China Sea which was organized and hosted by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) in Haikou, Hainan, China from 5-7 December 2012. The theme of the conference was “Recent Development of the South China Sea Dispute and Prospects of Joint Development Regime”. Prof Beckman presented a paper entitled “Legal Framework for Joint Development in the South China Sea”. While he was in Haikou he also had discussions with NISCSS Director Dr Wu Shicun about possible collaboration between CIL and NISCSS. For a copy of his paper, click here. For a copy of his PowerPoint presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman contributed to the CSCAP Regional Security Outlook 2013 with a short article on “Increased Tension and Risk of Potential Conflict in the South China Sea”. CSCAP is the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific. It provides an informal mechanism for scholars, officials and others in their private capacities to discuss political and security issues and challenges facing the region. The CSCAP regional security outlook (CRSO) is an annual publication to highlight regional security concerns and to promote informed policy-relevant outputs to advance regional security cooperation at official (Track One) levels. To download the article in PDF, click here.

CIL Research Associate Leonardo Bernard participated in the International Conference for the 30th Anniversary of UNCLOS with the theme “China and the Law of the Sea” from 22-24 November 2012 at Qingdao, China. Leo delivered a presentation titled “Effect of Islands on Maritime Delimitation: A Look at the Recent Judgments of ITLOS and ICJ”. The Conference was hosted by the Ocean University of China. To download the presentation in PDF format, click here. To download his paper on “The Role of Islands on Maritime Boundaries Delimitation: A Look at the Recent Decision of ITLOS”, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited by the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Foreign Affair of Indonesia to 2nd International Conference on Liability and Compensation Regime for transboundary oil damage resulting from offshore exploration and exploitation activities and contributed to the expert discussion on the establishment of a new regime.