Adjudicating the Law of the Sea

Abstract This article examines the use of international courts and tribunals to settle disputes relating to the law of the sea. It begins by looking at the record from 1986, when the first issue of the Journal appeared, up to the time of writing (April 2025). It goes on to consider why States have resorted to adjudication to settle their disputes and what the outcomes of the decided cases have been. The last part of the article speculates on the possible use of adjudication to settle law of the sea disputes in the future.