Class of 2010

Our Fourth Summer Academy

The fourth IFLOS Summer Academy at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea took place from 25 July to 21 August, 2010 and focused once again on the “Uses and Protection of the Sea – Legal, Economic and Natural Science Perspectives”. The Foundation also chose a new general subtitle as banner for this and future events, namely “Promoting Ocean Governance and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes”.

Class of 2010 group photo

Participants

The Foundation welcomed 31 participants from 29 different countries on all continents. Seven of these were selected by the Tribunal within the framework of the Nippon Program; 24 were chosen by the Foundation in close cooperation with the Tribunal. The number of applications rose significantly against last year and the Foundation took note of a sustained high degree of academic qualification and professional achievements amongst the applicants. The Foundation’s sponsors (Edmund Siemers-Stiftung, German Federal Foreign Office, Ince & Co. International Law Firm, Lebuhn & Puchta, and Zeit-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius) made it possible to award 9 scholarships. Given the fact that The Nippon Foundation enabled 7 other participants to take part in the course, 16 young academicians from developing countries, i.e.  about half of the participants, attended the Academy under scholarships.

Schedule

As its predecessors, the 2010 Academy covered a variety of Law of the Sea, Maritime Law and related topics and dealt extensively with specific subjects of interest such as marine environmental protection, climate change and the oceans, oil pollution and its consequences, and  ship-building and vessel-financing. As before, a visit to the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg was part of the programme.

Based on the experience from 3 previous Summer Academies, the schedule maintained the offer distinguishable blocks, in particular

  • Continental Shelf, where the legal aspects and UNCLOS provisions were accompanied by the political and technical aspects of submissions
  • Maritime Delimitation, where the traditional practical workshop with a prelude of mineral and petroleum resources topics was followed by the legal and political solutions.

A copy of the Schedule is attached.

Faculty

During the four weeks of the program, the participants had the opportunity to meet an impressive faculty composed of over 30 renowned personalities who travelled to Hamburg from many different corners of the world to share their expertise and experience with the participants on a pro bono basis.

The Foundation is especially grateful for the invaluable contributions by the members of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. With 6 judges (President José Louis Jesus, Vice President Helmut Türk, Judges Rüdiger Wolfrum, Tullio Treves, Tafsir Ndiaye and Vladimir Golitsyn) and the Registrar Philippe Gautier, the Foundation could again record a high participation of representatives from the Tribunal. Former President Thomas A. Mensah returned to the faculty and opened the Law of the Sea module.

Many members of the Faculties of 2007 to 2009 – legal and economic experts, natural scientists and experienced practitioners in maritime affairs (in particular those having received favourable feedback from last year’s participants) – could be won to return to Hamburg. A copy of the List of Lecturers is attached.

Open Event – Guest Lecture

Once again, the Foundation chose a topical theme for the traditional guest lecture, namely “Challenges for the Shipping Industry in the 21st Century” and succeeded to win Ralf Nagel (Senator retired and Chief Executive Officer, German Ship-Owners Association) to present. The session in the Courtroom of the Tribunal was well attended.

Moot Court

Four teams of five participants each competed in the Moot Court Tournament held in the Court Room of the Tribunal and gave an impressive performance. Although there was not much time to prepare the memorials and the hearings, the participants came up with well-prepared arguments and sharp answers to the questions put to them by the moot court bench consisting of Vice President Helmut Türk from the Tribunal (presiding), Professor David D. Caron from the University of California at Berkeley, Dr. Christopher Staker and Dr. Nele Matz-Lück. As before, the moot court judges chose a winning Team and awarded 3 special recognitions for oral argumentation.

Resolution

A group of 11 participants drafted a Final Resolution on the results of the Summer Academy in English and French, highlighting the achievements of the previous Summer Academies and giving valuable proposals for possible future improvements.

Extra-curricular Activities

Although the schedule was tight, there was some time reserved for extra-curricular activities. The participants had the opportunity to do some sight-seeing in Hamburg and its vicinity during a very informative bus tour as well as a boat tour through the port, they went to the medieval city of Lübeck and made a stop at the beach of Timmendorfer Strand. Furthermore, the participants visited the Sietas shipyard across the river Elbe as well as the nautical simulation facilities at the Hamburg Marine Training Centre (MTC). Once again, the Foundation managed to organise an excursion to Berlin, with a visit to the Reichstag.

Senate Reception

At the close of the Summer Academy, the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg held an impressive reception in the Town Hall, hosted by Senator of Justice, Dr. Till Steffen, where the participants received their certificates.

A Growing Network

Although the participants came from very diverse legal and cultural backgrounds they got along with each other very well and formed a very active and interested group. With their help, the Foundation will try to keep track of all of them to further facilitate networking and add to the Alumni circle founded by the Class of 2007. The feedback given by the participants was in every sense overwhelmingly positive, especially concerning the consistency of the group and the quality of the lectures delivered.

Thank You

Finally, the Foundation would like to wholeheartedly thank President Jesus, the Registrar Prof. Gautier, the Deputy-Registrar Mr. Kim and all the staff members of the Tribunal who have supported the team of the Foundation so well before and during the course of the Summer Academy.

After the Summer Academy is before the Summer Academy