Summer Academy

Promoting Ocean Governance and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes

The International Foundation for the Law of the Sea was established to promote the opportunities provided by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the peaceful settlement of law of the sea disputes and the further implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

One of the Foundation’s main aims is to promote learning and research in the field of international law of the sea at a global level, in particular for nationals of developing countries.

With this in mind, the Foundation established an annual Summer Academy at the seat of the Tribunal in Hamburg. The Summer Academy is a centre of excellence for studies of both international law of the sea and maritime law and includes related topics of economic and natural sciences. It brings together a prestigious faculty from among the judges of the Tribunal, professors and professionals from the maritime field with a dedicated group of highly-motivated participants from around the world (our Alumni).

The Summer Academy will take place over a period of four weeks with two modules of two weeks, the first focussing on International Law of the Sea and the second on Maritime Law from an international perspective, interspersed by lectures from other scientific areas connected to the maritime environment.

Abstracts, Readers, Presentations and other material will be made available online in a password protected area of this website; participants need to register online to access the material. Certificate Upon completion of the course, participants will receive a participation certificate issued by the Foundation. There will be an exam that – if taken successfully – entitles participants to receive a qualified certificate.

The Summer Academy features a distinguished faculty comprising experts in the law of the sea and maritime law. The faculty includes judges, professionals, and esteemed academics.

The full list of faculty members for the 2024 Summer Academy is available here.

The Summer Academy is held on the premises of ITLOS in Hamburg, Germany. We are grateful to the Tribunal to provide a special Classroom off the beautiful Rotunda.

Certain topics and syndicate sessions may be offerred in the nineteenth-century “Villa Schröder” on site which also provides the Course Office.

Exteriour of the CourthouseITLOS Photo: Exteriour of the Courthouse
The registry inside the International Tribunal for the law of the seaITLOS Photo: The registry inside the ITLOS
Villa SchröderITLOS Photo: Villa Schröder

Admission, Course Fee, Scholarships etc.

Summer Academy in a Nutshell

An overview about the Foundation and the Summer Academy is provided here (PDF).