The question (15 marks)
“Equidistance is a method, not a rule.” Discuss the law governing the delimitation of maritime boundaries between States with opposite or adjacent coasts. (15 marks)
MU Module II, head 2.4.2; chapters on delimitation and the continental shelf.
Plan your answer on paper before you look at the authorities — issue first, then the rule, then apply it to these facts.
It tests Unit 2 · State Territory, Jurisdiction and the Law of the Sea of Public International Law.
Authorities you will need
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, arts. 15, 74, 76 and 83
- North Sea Continental Shelf Cases, ICJ Reports 1969, p. 3
- Continental Shelf (Tunisia / Libyan Arab Jamahiriya), ICJ Reports 1982, p. 17
- Statute of the International Court of Justice 1945, art. 38(2)
- Republic of Italy v. Union of India
How an answer is marked
A full-marks answer names the issue in one line, states the rule with its section, cites the authority, applies it to these facts and concludes — in that order. The app's model answer for this question is written in exactly that shape, with a checklist to mark your own attempt against.