The Tribunal for the Law of the Sea Ready to Judge Growing Cases of Piracy

"The (International) Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is ready to judge each piracy case that states want it to deal with," Jose Luis Jesus, president of the Hamburg-based organization told the daily Die Welt.

Jesus also suggested that states that capture alleged pirates should seek legal advice from the tribunal. A number of countries have reinforced their military presence in the pirate-infested Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden but what to do with suspected pirates they nab is often fraught with legal questions. A majority of those captured are turned over to authorities in Somalia's breakaway state of Puntland — whose self-proclaimed autonomy is not recognized internationally.

In March, however, the European Union signed an agreement with Kenya for Nairobi to judge suspected pirates captured by EU vessels. Other suspects have been transferred to the countries whose forces have caught them — notably France and the United States. Pirate attacks off Somalia have increased tenfold in the first quarter of 2009, jumping from six to 61 compared to the same period last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Any of the 157 countries that have signed the United Nations Law of the Sea convention can bring a case to the court.

Source: Ecoterra Intl, April 25, 2009

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