Maritime Delimitation at the ICJ
How the Court draws maritime boundaries between states, applying equitable principles.
Maritime Boundary Disputes
Maritime delimitation cases ask the ICJ to draw the line between the maritime zones of adjacent or opposite states. These disputes matter enormously because maritime zones contain fisheries, oil and gas reserves, and strategic shipping routes. The Court has decided more than 20 maritime delimitation cases, making it the leading tribunal in this area alongside ITLOS and Annex VII tribunals under UNCLOS.
The legal framework comes from UNCLOS and customary international law. States are entitled to a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, a 200-mile exclusive economic zone, and a continental shelf. When these zones overlap, the boundary must be delimited by agreement or adjudication. The ICJ applies an equitable solution methodology rather than rigid geometric rules.
