The final workshop report, "Submarine Cables in the Sargasso Sea: Legal and Environmental Issues in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction," has been released by the co-sponsors: Sargasso Sea Commission, Centre for International Law of the National University of Singapore (CIL), George Washington University Law School, and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC). This report is the first ever multidisciplinary effort by scientists, the submarine cable industry, and government experts from Bermuda, the United Kingdom and the United States to study and report on environmental impacts of modern submarine fibre-optic telecommunications cables in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) and the high seas. This unique work was compiled from presentations, papers, and discussions at the workshop which was held on 23 October 2014 at George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C.
The 49 page report highlights the value of collaborative work by 40 experts and participants working together in a candid exchange of data and views concerning the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the ABNJ/high seas environment. The full report (which includes a list of undersea cables in the Sargasso Sea and the workshop’s agenda) can be found on the public websites of the ICPC, CIL and Sargasso Sea Commission.
About ICPC
The ICPC was formed in 1958 and its primary goal is to promote the safeguarding of international submarine cables against man-made and natural hazards. The organisation provides a forum for the exchange of technical, legal and environmental information about submarine cables and, with 145 members from over 60 nations, is the World’s premier submarine cable organisation. More information about the ICPC and its upcoming Plenary meeting in Hong Kong is available at: www.iscpc.org.
