Thesis--Amsterdam, 1907. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Amsterdam, 1907. / Includes bibliographical references.

Inaug.-Diss.--Basel. / [Curriculum vitae at end]

Extending the search for oil and gas into the marine areas is a relatively recent phase in the production of oil and gas. Although shallow water mining has been conducted since the 1940's, these attempts have been seen more as extensions of terrestrial mining than as serious offshore attempts. The technological feasibility of offshore oil ~nd gas mining has increased rapidly from the late 1950's onwards. 2This coincides, and more often than not is related to, recent vast developments in the Law of the Sea and pursuit of agreement by nations on vital questions related to the use and control of the sea. International law relating to the offshore oil and gas regime is therefore fairly recent in origin and, in many areas, unsettled. Lawyers have wrestled with the problems of creating a legal regime in areas beyond State sovereignty, applicable to constrictions which generally do not adequately resemble, for legal purposes, either ships or islands. In addition to the regime to be applied to the installation itself, it was soon realized that special precautions would have to be taken to ensure that loss of both life and property was kept to an absolute minimum. Offshore installations represent vast investment. _They operate on, and are exposed to, an environment which is unpredictable, powerful and on occasion violent in nature, not to mention the nature of the substances to be brought to the surface, which are dangerous, as experience has shown, in terms of inter alia, volatility and threat of pollution. One of the concepts soon arrived at was that of the safety zone, which has the obvious purpose of minimizing the possibility of collision with the installation, or crafts or objects attached to, or in the service of, the installation. Now as the concept of a safety zone suggests, and due to the fact that the installations frequently operate beyond territorial waters, it was obvious that parts of the high seas were to be affected. While uneasy agreement has been reached in the conventions on the Law of -the Sea~ in relation to shipping and respect for safety zones, the concept of aerial jurisdiction over these legally unique areas still remains a controversial one. This despite the fact that overflight of these areas is both possible and likely by almost all aircraft, and that certain aircraft, particularly helicopters, have proven vital to the operation of installations, as a means of transport and communication. In addition technology has provided, and will provide, new craft which will be classified either as ships or aircraft, and will be considered in the light of their usefulness to oil and gas installations or alternatively the threat they pose to them.

This dissertation deals with the public international law aspect of the developing regime of the high seas in the context of jurisdiction over foreign ships and it confines itself primarily to the jurisdictional issues.

This thesis is concerned with the innocent passage of warcraft. It deals not, only with warships but also with submarines and aircrafts.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the development of State practice, conventions, judicial decisions, arbitral awards, and settlements on the delimitation of maritime boundaries in a European and Mediterranean context. Conclusions will be expressed on important principles which may be of relevance in future, delimitations, not only in these areas but also more generally.

Trade has been booming. The WTO ( World Trade Organisation) estimated that world trade in goods grew 8 % in volume terms last year, this being four times the growth of world GDP (Gross Domestic Products). During the 1990s international trade has grown far faster than world output, showing that national economies are becoming more closely linked. Foreign direct investment, another gauge of international economies integration, is also soaring: last year, estimated the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, cross border investment increased by 40%, to $315 billion.

There has been much public debate within South Africa (RSA), especially since 1994, concerning the role of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) now that peace is the order of the day. Coupled to this is the perennial issue of insufficient funds to pay for all the services the government is expected to provide, and at the level with which all are satisfied. One of the hardest hit departments, from a budgetary point of view, is the Department of Defence (DoD), with funds been shifted to meet the ever increasing demand for socio-economic upliftment at the expense of defence. At the base of any argument concerning the issue of defence versus socio-economic upliftment, is the question of whether massive expenditure for defence in a peacetime environment is justifiable, seen in the light that many South Africans still do not have secure homes, access to acceptable education, medical facilities and potable water.

The law of maritime liens has been a subject of great uncertainty for a long period of time and there has not been any unanimity in terms of certain aspect of this concept. Domestic law vary with regards to the recognition and enforcement of maritime liens. In an attempt to settle some of the uncertain aspects of maritime liens, three international conventions have been adopted to set out a universal list of maritime liens as well as to make uniform the mode of enforcing those maritime liens. The first attempt to achieve uniformity in the law of maritime liens was the International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to Maritime Liens and Mortgages 1926. However this convention did not receive acceptance in most jurisdictions. In 1967, a similar convention was formulated but like its predecessor, it was also not a success. The latest Convention was formulated in 1993 but despite the inclusion of seemingly attractive provisions in terms of ranking and classification of maritime claims, it also failed to get the required accessions and ratifications. This persistence by the international community in trying to regulate maritime liens serves as proof to show that admiralty law is faced with many challenges and inexplicable principles when it comes to maritime liens. This dissertation will grapple with what some may call a very old and distinct aspect of maritime liens, that is, its enforcement against buyers for value without notice. This aspect may very well be common with other types of liens but taking into consideration some of the reasoning behind its existence, perhaps the time has come to look into this issue. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.