Legal Aspects of Conventional and Chemical Warfare dumped in the Sea

MIREMAR - Conference

Monika Krivickaite, Walther-Schücking-Institute for International Law, Kiel / Germany

Abstract

The presentation focuses on the legal implications of sea-dumped conventional and chemical warfare and treaties involved. The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force in 1997 prohibits the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical war material for military purposes and aims at the world-wide destruction of the present stocks. As a result of the growing environmental awareness the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft (Oslo Convention) was signed in 1972.

In 1974 Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Land-Based Sources (Paris Convention) was signed. In 1992 both conventions merged into the new Oslo-Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Northeast Atlantic (OSPAR Convention), which entered into force in 1998. In the same year the first Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic was signed (Helsinki Convention). The governing body of the Convention is the Helsinki Commission or HELCOM. The Numerous HELCOM working groups are important in the context of the current discussion, in particular the Ad Hoc Working Group on Dumped Chemical Munition (HELCOM CHEMU), which collaborates closely with the OSPAR Commission on the subject of sea-dumped chemical weapons. The OSPAR "Standing Advisory Committee for Scientific Advice" (SACSA) gathers all information in relation to dump sites of munitions and the possible recovery methods.

Contact
Monika Krivickaite
Walther-Schücking-Institute for International Law
Christian-Albrechts-Universität
Westring 400
D-24098 Kiel / Germany
Tel. +49 431 880 4822
mkrivickaite(at)internat-recht.uni-kiel.de
Walther-Schücking-Institute for International Law

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