This book offers a detailed legal assessment of offshore ‘joint development’ agreements (JDAs) arising from cooperative negotiations between coastal States. These agreements focus on the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon deposits within disputed seabed areas, overlapping continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zones claims, or across delimited maritime boundaries.
Introducing ‘joint development’ as a framework for international agreements enabling States to collaboratively manage shared hydrocarbon resources, the book’s central theme focuses on comparative analyses of selected offshore JDAs, examined by international practitioners, officials, and academics. Through these case studies, it explores the legal complexities and practical applications of JDAs, emphasizing their role in fostering cooperation between States. It highlights the growing State practice in bilateral joint development agreements and proposes an international norm favouring such arrangements, particularly in disputed maritime areas with potential hydrocarbon deposits.
Targeted at legal scholars, policymakers, international practitioners, and academics specializing in maritime law and resource management, this book offers valuable insights into the evolving international legal framework. It serves as a guide for States seeking cooperative solutions to manage shared hydrocarbon resources in contested maritime zones.
Table of Contents:
List of figures. List of tables. List of contributors. Preface 1. The International Legal Framework for Offshore Joint Development of Hydrocarbon Resources Part I. The Asia-Pacific Region2. The Evolution of Joint Development in the Timor Sea. From Gap to Conciliation and Beyond 3. The Malaysia–Thailand Joint Development Area 4. From fantasy to illusion, is judicial dispute settlement the only option for the Korea-Japan JDZ? Focusing on its Implementation History and Future 5. Malaysia-Vietnam Joint Development in the Gulf of Thailand Part II. Africa and the Middle East Region 6. Unblocking Joint Development Agreements. Sao Tome and Principe–Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau–Senegal and Australia-Timor-Leste. 7. The “Nigeria-Sao Tome” Joint Development Agreement (JDA) – A Nigerian Perspective 8. Mauritius/Seychelles Joint Management Agreement 9. Prospects for Joint Development of the South Pars and North Gas Field between Iran and Qatar Part III. Europe & North America Regions 10. France-Spain, Bay of Biscay Joint Development Agreement. an ambitious but outdated co-operation in shared offshore resources 11. Framework Agreement between the Republic of Cyprus and the Arab Republic of Egypt concerning the Development of Cross-Median Line Hydrocarbon Resources 12. The Agreement between Iceland and Norway on the Continental Shelf between Iceland and Jan Mayen 13. US-Mexico Agreement on Joint Development Index
About the Author :
David M. Ong, Professor of International and Environmental Law at Liverpool John Moores University. Originally from Malaysia, he is a legal academic whose research interests include the law of the sea, international investment law, and environmental law.
Choi Jee-hyun, Associate Professor, Law School, Jeju National University, Jeju City of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Ph D. International Law at the Korea University. Korea University (Graduate), Korea University (Undergraduate). He has been in Associate Research Fellow in the Korea Maritime Institute from 2011 to 2020
