Singapore Becomes Sea-Dispute Settlement Centre
The government of Singapore has become a venue in Asia to settle maritime disputes for proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). A joint declaration was signed between ITLOS president Vladimir Golitsyn and permanent secretary to the ministry of law Ng How Yue to allow the Republic to become a venue to settle disputes relating to the law of the sea. Under the commitments of the joint declaration, Singapore will provide appropriate facilities to the tribunal for a special chamber of the tribunal or the tribunal to sit or exercise its functions in the city-state. In a statement, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K.
Maritime Tribunal Rejects Plea to Free Italy's Marines
An international maritime tribunal on Monday rejected Italy's request that India provisionally release two marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen, a setback for the Italian government after a three-year legal battle. However the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg also ordered India to suspend legal action against the two Italian marines, saying an international arbitration hearing to be held in The Hague must rule on the dispute. Rome objects to holding a trial in India, arguing that the case should be taken to arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and that the incident happened in international waters where national laws do not apply. The Indian government wants Indian courts to try the case.
