The Arctic Sunrise Arbitration
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PCA Case Nº 2014-02 IN THE MATTER OF THE ARCTIC SUNRISE ARBITRATION - before - AN ARBITRAL TRIBUNAL CONSTITUTED UNDER ANNEX VII TO THE 1982 UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA - between - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS - and - THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION __________________________________________________________ AWARD ON THE MERITS __________________________________________________________ ARBITRAL TRIBUNAL: Judge Thomas A. Mensah (President) Mr. Henry Burmester Professor Alfred H.A. Soons Professor Janusz Symonides Dr. Alberto Székely REGISTRY: Permanent Court of Arbitration 14 August 2015 This page intentionally blank ii AGENTS, COUNSEL, ADVISERS, AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PARTIES THE NETHERLANDS THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AGENT Professor Dr. Liesbeth Lijnzaad, Legal Adviser No agents, counsel, advisers, or other of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the representatives were appointed by the Russian Kingdom of the Netherlands Federation in this arbitration CO-AGENT Professor Dr. René Lefeber, Deputy Legal Adviser of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands COUNSEL Professor Dr. Erik Franckx, Professor, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of International and European Law, Centre for International Law PARTY REPRESENTATIVE Peter van Wulfften Palthe, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Austria ADVISERS Mr. Marco Benatar, Researcher, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of International and European Law, Centre for International Law Ms. Anke Bouma, Legal Counsel, Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Mr. Tom Diederen, Legal Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Mr. Peter Post, Transport Adviser, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Ms. Annemarieke Vermeer, Legal Counsel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands iii This page intentionally blank iv TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY ............................................................................................................. 5 A. INITIATION OF THE ARBITRATION ................................................................................... 5 B. APPLICATION TO ITLOS FOR PROVISIONAL MEASURES .............................................. 5 C. CONSTITUTION OF THE TRIBUNAL .................................................................................. 6 D. FIRST PROCEDURAL MEETING; ADOPTION OF TERMS OF APPOINTMENT ................... 7 E. ADOPTION OF PROCEDURAL TIMETABLE AND WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS ...................... 8 F. THE HEARING AND POST-HEARING EVENTS ................................................................ 10 G. DEPOSITS FOR THE COSTS OF ARBITRATION ................................................................ 13 III. FACTUAL OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................... 13 A. THE ARCTIC SUNRISE AND THE ARCTIC 30 .................................................................. 14 B. THE PRIRAZLOMNAYA .................................................................................................... 15 C. CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS (SEPTEMBER 2013 TO JANUARY 2015) ............................. 16 1. Greenpeace protest action at the Prirazlomnaya; detention of Ms. Saarela and Mr. Weber by the Russian authorities ........................................................ 16 2. Boarding of the Arctic Sunrise by the Russian authorities and subsequent measures taken against the vessel and the persons on board; diplomatic exchanges between the Parties and commencement of this arbitration .......... 22 3. Release of the Arctic 30 and the Arctic Sunrise; end of legal proceedings in Russia; commencement of related international legal proceedings ................. 28 IV. THE NETHERLANDS’ REQUESTS FOR RELIEF .................................................................... 30 V. JURISDICTION AND ADMISSIBILITY ..................................................................................... 32 A. EXISTENCE AND SCOPE OF THE DISPUTE ...................................................................... 32 B. EXCHANGE OF VIEWS―ARTICLE 283(1) OF THE CONVENTION ................................. 34 C. STANDING ........................................................................................................................ 36 1. The Netherlands’ standing under the law of the sea as a flag State to invoke Russia’s responsibility for injury caused by breaches of the Convention ....... 36 2. The Netherlands’ standing to invoke Russia’s responsibility for injury caused to all persons on board the ship flying its flag, the Arctic Sunrise, regardless of nationality ......................................................................................................... 40 3. The Netherlands’ entitlement to exercise diplomatic protection on behalf of the individual members of the crew having Dutch nationality ........................ 40 4. The Netherlands’ standing to invoke the international responsibility of Russia for breaches of its obligations held erga omnes partes and/or erga omnes . 4 1 VI. APPLICABLE LAW ...................................................................................................................... 43 VII. MERITS: ALLEGED INTERNATIONALLY WRONGFUL ACTS OF RUSSIA ...................... 46 A. RUSSIA’S ESTABLISHMENT OF A SAFETY ZONE AROUND THE PRIRAZLOMNAYA ..... 46 B. THE LAWFULNESS OF THE MEASURES TAKEN AGAINST THE ARCTIC SUNRISE AND ITS CREW ......................................................................................................................... 52 v 1. The applicable legal test ....................................................................................... 52 2. The boarding, seizure, and detention of the Arctic Sunrise ............................. 53 (a) Law enforcement measures ....................................................................... 56 i. Right of visit on suspicion of piracy .................................................. 56 ii. Violation of coastal State laws applicable to artificial islands, installations, and structures and their safety zones in the EEZ (e.g. prohibition of hooliganism and entry into safety zones): right of hot pursuit ................................................................................................ 58 (a) Violation of the laws of the coastal State ................................ 60 (b) Commencement of pursuit: location of the pursued ship and signal to stop ............................................................................ 61 (c) Continuity of pursuit ............................................................... 66 iii. Commission of terrorist offences ...................................................... 68 iv. Right of the coastal State to enforce its laws regarding non-living resources in the EEZ .......................................................................... 69 v. Enforcement jurisdiction related to the protection of the marine environment ....................................................................................... 71 (a) Article 220 of the Convention ................................................. 71 (b) Article 234 of the Convention ................................................. 73 vi. Dangerous manoeuvering .................................................................. 74 (b) Other possible legal bases for taking measures to protect coastal State rights and interests in the EEZ ................................................................. 76 i. Prevention of adverse ecological/environmental consequences ........ 76 ii. Prevention of terrorism ...................................................................... 78 iii. Prevention of interference with the exercise of a coastal State’s sovereign rights for the exploration and exploitation of non-living resources in its EEZ ........................................................................... 81 (c) Conclusion .................................................................................................. 83 C. COMPLIANCE WITH THE ITLOS ORDER ....................................................................... 83 D. RUSSIA’S FAILURE TO PAY DEPOSITS IN THIS ARBITRATION ...................................... 90 E. CIRCUMSTANCES PRECLUDING WRONGFULNESS ........................................................ 92 VIII. REPARATION ........................................................................................................................... 92 A. SATISFACTION ................................................................................................................. 93 B. RESTITUTION ................................................................................................................... 94 C. COMPENSATION .............................................................................................................. 96 IX. INTEREST ..................................................................................................................................... 97 X. COSTS ........................................................................................................................................... 98 XI. DECISION ....................................................................................................................................