NCLOS - Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea

30/01/2026

Under the theme “Turn of the Tide,” Arctic Frontiers 2026 brings together experts from science, policy, business, and local Arctic communities to explore how climate change, shifting geopolitics, and economic transformation are reshaping the Arctic region.

In the link below, you can view all the events members of The Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea are part of:
https://uit.no/research/nclos

23/11/2025

SSFI Lunchtime Seminar – Arctic Governance is Dead. Long Live Arctic Governance!

On Friday November 21, NCLOS Director Professor Vito De Lucia presented ongoing research at a lunchtime seminar hosted by Singapore Sustainable Futures Initiative (SSFI) Director, Associate Professor Nengye Liu at the SMU Yong Pung How School of Law.

⚖️ Professor De Lucia explored the pressing question of whether the current architecture of Arctic governance can adequately respond to ongoing geopolitical shifts and rising security concerns. He argued that the future of Arctic governance is in a critical state in terms of addressing conflict and ongoing security concerns. He proposed, drawing from Italian theory, that conflict should be understood as an inherent element within cooperative governance rather than something to be neutralized and considered pathological.

🏛️ The seminar revisited the Ottawa Declaration’s mention of military security, questioned long-standing assumptions about Arctic exceptionalism, and considered whether the Arctic Council will need to engage more directly with security-related issues. Professor De Lucia emphasised that the structure of Arctic governance must evolve, and that meaningful engagement with topics such as security, war, and conflict is essential for sustaining effective cooperation in the Arctic region.

Thank you to Associate Professor Nengye Liu for organizing this seminar, which fostered insightful discussions on the future of Arctic governance and the role of the Arctic Council!

19/11/2025

From 18–19 November, we were pleased to co-organise the CIL–NCLOS Dialogue 2025 workshop in Singapore, “Arctic Governance: Contemporary Trends in Shipping, Environment, and Security,” together with Centre for International Law (CIL).

The opening address was delivered by First Secretary and Deputy Head of Mission Valentin Musangwa at the Norwegian Embassy in Singapore, who emphasised the importance of international cooperation in strengthening Arctic governance.

The discussions examined developments along the Northern Sea Route, environmental measures such as black carbon and heavy fuel oil regulations, and the security implications of growing maritime activity, including seabed mining, autonomous technologies, and cyber risks. The workshop concluded with an insightful panel on the significance of the BBNJ Agreement for the Arctic.

We extend our thanks to the Norwegian Embassy in Singapore, to Innovation Norway’s Singapore office, and to all speakers for their valuable contributions.

A special appreciation goes to the CIL team for their excellent organisation and warm hospitality throughout the event!

07/11/2025

NCLOS Annual Conference 2025 took place this week, from 3–5 November. This year’s theme was on the role of implementing agreements, and the conference brought together leading experts and practitioners in the field of the Law of the Sea.

The conference opened with a keynote speech by Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, former Director of the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, on Tuesday, and then with another keynote speech by Rena Lee, Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law and President of the Intergovernmental Conference, on Wednesday.

Five thematic panels explored key issues relating to the Fish Stocks Agreement, the Agreement on the Implementation of Part XI of the LOSC, the BBNJ Agreement, and broader cross-cutting topics concerning the function and significance of implementing agreements.

The conference concluded with a high-level panel featuring Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Rena Lee, Joanna Mossop, and Vito De Lucia, who offered forward-looking reflections on how implementing agreements continue to shape the evolution of ocean governance. They also discussed the potential of the BBNJ Agreement to further strengthen global collaboration and cooperation.

The discussions across all sessions provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities ahead for the Law of the Sea and for implementing agreements in particular.

We extend our sincere thanks to all speakers, moderators, rapporteurs, and participants for their engagement and contributions to making this year’s NCLOS Annual Conference a success!

23/10/2025

Brand new newsletter from NCLOS is now posted, where you can be updated on some of our activities from the last months. As the days grow longer, we’re sending warm wishes from all of us at NCLOS when we are heading into winter.

The Centre has been full of energy and new projects during the sunny months. We hope you enjoy our latest newsletter were we share highlights from the spring and summer months.

NCLOS

08/10/2025

Yesterday on the 7th of October at NCLOS's research lunch Alexander Lott presented “Reflections on the course Arctic Future Pathfinders — A journey through the Northwest Passage.” where he shared his experience from the One Ocean Expedition that was meant to take him and others through the Northwest Passage, but which took unexpected turns.

Alexander described the expedition’s planning, the academic goals of the course, and his dual roles as educator and researcher studying legal approaches to navigation through the Northwest Passage. He explained the permit, notice of arrival, and marine scientific research requirements for transits in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland and the practical safety courses and research clearances required for the participants.

He contrasted historic Northwest Passage crossings from Amundsen’s 1903–1906 voyage to the dramatic rise in recent transits, noted the absence of documented historic Inuit crossings in those records, and showed how crossings increased sharply in the recent years compared with most of the 20th century.

Alexander recounted the Statsraad Lehmkuhl voyage: the historic tall ship sailed with 115 persons aboard, including professional sailors, researchers, and students. The ship needed a permit to continue the journey. A notice of arrival was submitted in early August 2025 and Transport Canada denied the request to enter Canadian Arctic waters citing ice condition limits under Arctic shipping regulations and the Polar Code; which led to unsuspected changes to the journey planned. Alexander dived into how the different legal regulatory definitions of “open water” and “bergy water” could determine whether a ship would be granted a permit.

He closed his presentation with an engaging Q&A and the personal takeaway that, despite the setback, the voyage was “quite a journey, I would for sure do it again”.

10/09/2025

We are happy to announce that registration is now open for the NCLOS annual conference in November marking the 30th anniversary of the UN Fish Stocks Agreement. Please register by October 17.

Key topics include:
The Fish Stocks Agreement
The Agreement on the Implementation of Part XI of the LOSC
The BBNJ Agreement
Cross-cutting issues

Keynote speakers:
🔵 Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, former Director of the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea
🔵 Ambassador Rena Lee ICJ Campaign, Singapore Ambassador for International Law and Intergovernmental Conference President

The conference is a unique opportunity to engage with international experts and contribute to critical discussions on ocean governance and the structural and legal frameworks that support it.

Organized with the support of the Research Council of Norway.

👉 Registration: https://nettskjema.no/a/544376 #/page/1

👉 Conference website: https://uit.no/tavla/artikkel/877210/nclos_annual_conference_2025_the_role_of_impleme

Velkommen til UiT, bli bedre kjent med studiehverdagen ved UiT Norges arktiske universitet!

26/08/2025

Yesterday, Mazyar Ahmad successfully defended his PhD thesis “Seabed Mining and Mankind: A Gramscian Analysis of Developing States' Potential to Challenge Hegemony through International Law.”

Congratulations on achieving your PhD!💐

Read more about his trial lecture and public defence of the doctoral degree in law:
https://uit.no/tavla/artikkel/884103/trial_lecture_and_public_defence_of_doctoral_degr

20/08/2025

Alexander Lott, senior researcher at the Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea (NCLOS), recently held a lecture aboard the Statsraad Lehmkuhl as part of the interdisciplinary course Arctic Pathfinders.

The ship had departed from Nuuk, Greenland, with plans to sail through the Northwest Passage. However, Canadian authorities denied permission to transit the Arctic route, forcing a change of course.

In his lecture, Lott explored the legal frameworks governing maritime straits, including innocent and transit passage, and discussed Canada's claim over the Northwest Passage as a non-international strait. He also highlighted the strategic importance of Arctic straits for global shipping and naval access, as well as their environmental vulnerability due to increasing human activity.

Read more about the lecture on the UiT website 👇

The significance of maritime straits is multifaceted, particularly regarding their commercial, environmental, and strategic dimensions.

12/08/2025

On August 25, Mazyar Ahmad, PhD candidate at the Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea (NCLOS), will be presenting his trial lecture and defending his PhD dissertation in Law.

Both sessions will be streamed, so if you can’t make it in person, you’re welcome to join online!

🔗 Find all the details and stream links in the link below:

Mazyar Ahmad will hold his trial lecture and defend his PhD thesis in Law.

08/08/2025

The 48th Conference on Oceans Law & Policy (COLP48) will convene next month in New Delhi—its first time in the Indian subcontinent.

Hosted by Gujarat Maritime University and co-organised with global partners, this year’s conference highlights perspectives from the Global South, with a strong focus on the Indian Ocean Rim.

Topics include:
🔹 Maritime law & dispute settlement
🔹 AI in ocean governance
🔹 Seabed mining & marine environmental protection
🔹 Climate impacts, marine pollution & SIDS interests

NCLOS is proud to be among the contributing institutions. Other partners include:

World Maritime University Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
Stockton Center for International Law U.S. Naval War College
The Nippon Foundation
Japan Institute of International Affairs
CLIMA - Centre for Climate Change Law and Governance
Korea Maritime Institute
IMO IMLI
National Maritime Foundation- NMF
NUS Centre for International Law
Ankara University, National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law (DEHUKAM)

18/07/2025

This past week Endalew Enyew, Jan Solski, Konstantinos Virvos, and Maria das Neves were at the Marine & Environmental Law Institute of Dalhousie University/Schulich School of Law in Halifax to participate in the MELAW-NCLOS Exchange on Ecosystem-Based Management: Best Practices, Lessons Learned, and Ways Forward. Lena Schøning also contributed virtualy in this workshop. Together with our colleagues from MELAW we engaged in fruitful discussions on ecosystem and human rights-based approaches to ocean governance, Indigenous rights and the ecosystem approach, implementation of EA/EBM in different sectors, and other emerging issues. 🇨🇦🤓🌊