Summary of Maritime Delimitation Experience: The range of experience covers advice on maritime zones legislative schemes, legal inputs in hydrographic and technical studies to identify provisional boundaries, preparations for boundary delimitation negotiations, assistance with negotiations, preparation of claims to the extended continental shelf and capacity-building measures.

MOST RECENT PUBLICATION

Editor of the Middle America & Caribbean section of the International Maritime Boundary Delimitation Volumes V & VI, published under the auspices of the American Journal of International Law. Volume VI is scheduled to be published this year (2010). These publications cover maritime boundary making in Central America and the Caribbean and were researched and presented by Dundas and Associates.


AREAS OF SPECIALISATION

Advice on legislative schemes -These enactments were designed to take give effect to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), particularly with respect to maritime boundaries delimitation. Led technical assistance missions that advised on and prepared maritime area legislation for Antigua/Barbuda, Maldives, St.Kitts/Nevis, St. Lucia, Seychelles and Tuvalu.

Hydrographical and technical studies - Advised on the legal and policy issues concerning the preparation of technical reports to facilitate boundary negotiation. Projects of this kind were undertaken in Antigua/Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Ghana, Grenada, Maldives, Samoa, St. Kitts/Nevis, St Vincent, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Preparation for delimitation negotiations - Assist with the preparation for negotiations. Projects of this nature were undertaken in Antigua/Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts/Nevis, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

Negotiating Briefs - Advised on negotiating briefs in Antigua/Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and Maldives. Advised on the formation of negotiating teams in these countries as well as in Samoa and Seychelles.

Assistance with negotiations - Assist with the presentation of the arguments in the face of negotiations. Also advised on negotiating strategies and legal implications of opponents’ proposals.

Extended continental shelf - Promoted programme of research into the potential claims of Commonwealth Countries to the extended continental shelf.

Capacity building in boundary law and negotiations - Conducted short (2-6 weeks duration) on-the-job attachment courses at my office for senior officers involved in delimitation projects. These attachments were extended to officers from Antigua/Barbuda, Dominica, Malaysia, Seychelles, Tuvalu, OECS Secretariat and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.
Assisted in the organisation of, and participated in, regional workshops on maritime boundary delimitation and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) management in the Caribbean, OECS sub-region, East Africa and the South Pacific.

Conducted country-specific workshops on boundary delimitation and EEZ management in Brunei, Maldives and Seychelles.
Participated in many conferences, seminars and workshops on maritime boundaries and related subjects including Task Force on Avis Island (preparation for delimitation between OECS countries and Venezuela), Conference on delimitation in Georgia USA in 1984 and training workshops on boundary delimitation for OECS countries.

Advice on the implications of delimitation for natural resources development--- Often undertook delimitation projects to facilitate the development of natural resources of the EEZ, the continental shelf and other maritime zones. Projects of this nature undertaken may be broken down into two categories, namely, petroleum and manganese nodules on the continental shelf and on the sea-bed of the EEZ respectively, and fisheries in the EEZ. Boundary projects relating to petroleum have been undertaken in Grenada, Malta and Seychelles; advice has been offered Cook Islands on a legal regime for mining manganese nodules in the EEZ and delimitation advice in connection with fisheries exploitation in all maritime zones has been offered to Antigua/Barbuda, Brunei, Dominica, Maldives and Seychelles.

Commonwealth Secretariat (July 2001): Guyana’s maritime boundary delimitation project. Adviser to Facilitators of Belize and Guatemala (2001-2002); Editor of Caribbean and Middle America Region for Vol. V of the International Maritime Boundary Series, published by the American Society of International 2003-4. Consultant jointly with Dr Carlyle Mitchell on the CARICOM Common Fisheries Policy (including related maritime boundary issues) 2004.