Chambers

The Seabed Disputes Chamber is established in accordance with Part XI, section 5, of the Convention and article 14 of the Statute. The Chamber has jurisdiction in disputes with respect to activities in the International Seabed Area.

The Chamber is composed of 11 judges. A quorum of seven members is required to constitute the Chamber. Members of the Chamber are selected by the members of the Tribunal every three years and may be selected for a second term. The selection process ensures the representation of the principal legal systems of the world and equitable geographical distribution. The Chamber elects its President from among its members (Statute, article 35). The composition of the Chamber in order of precedence for the period ending 30 September 2026 is as follows: 

President: Judge Attard

Members:

• Judge Jesus
• Judge Kulyk
• Judge Kittichaisaree
• Judge Kolodkin
• Judge Lijnzaad
• Judge Duan
• Judge Brown
• Judge Caracciolo
• Judge Armas Pfirter
• Judge Joyini

Any party to a dispute over which the Seabed Disputes Chamber has jurisdiction may request the Seabed Disputes Chamber to form an ad hoc chamber. An ad hoc chamber is composed of three members of the Seabed Disputes Chamber. The composition of the ad hoc chamber is determined by the Seabed Disputes Chamber with the approval of the parties to the dispute. Members of the ad hoc chamber may not be in the service of, or nationals of, any of the parties (Convention, articles 187 and 188; Statute, article 36).

In accordance with article 15, paragraphs 3 and 4, of the Statute, the Chamber of Summary Procedure may hear and determine a case by summary procedure if the parties so request. In addition, the Chamber may prescribe provisional measures if the Tribunal is not in session or a sufficient number of members is not available to constitute a quorum. 

The Chamber of Summary Procedure, constituted annually, is composed of five members and two alternates, as provided for by the Statute. The President and the Vice-President of the Tribunal are members ex officio of the Chamber; the President of the Tribunal serves as President of the Chamber. 

In September 2024 the Chamber was constituted for the period ending 30 September 2025. Its composition in order of precedence is as follows:

President: President Heidar

Members:

• Vice-President Chadha
• Judge Jesus
• Judge Kolodkin
• Judge Infante Caffi

Alternates

• Judge Rhee
• Judge Marciniak

The Chamber for Fisheries Disputes, established in accordance with article 15, paragraph 1, of the Statute, is available to deal with disputes concerning the conservation and management of marine living resources, which parties may agree to submit to it. The Chamber consists of nine members. The composition of the Chamber in order of precedence for the period ending 30 September 2026 is as follows:

President: Judge Kittichaisaree

Members:

• Judge Bouguetaia
• Judge Attard
• Judge Kulyk
• Judge Infante Caffi
• Judge Duan
• Judge Horinouchi
• Judge Joyini
• Judge Kamara

The Chamber for Marine Environment Disputes, established in accordance with article 15, paragraph 1, of the Statute, is available to deal with disputes relating to the protection and preservation of the marine environment which parties may agree to submit to it. The Chamber consists of nine members. The quorum required for the meetings of the chamber consists of seven members. The composition of the Chamber in order of precedence for the period ending 30 September 2026 is as follows:

President: Judge Lijnzaad

Members:

• Judge Bouguetaia
• Judge Cabello Sarubbi
• Judge Kamga
• Judge Armas Pfirter
• Judge Horinouchi
• Judge Rhee
• Judge Kamara
• Judge Marciniak

The Chamber for Maritime Delimitation Disputes, established in accordance with article 15, paragraph 1, of the Statute, is available to deal with disputes on maritime delimitation which parties may agree to submit to it. The Chamber consists of nine members. The composition of the Chamber in order of precedence for the period ending 30 September 2026 is as follows:

President: President Heidar

Members:

• Vice-President Chadha
• Judge Jesus
• Judge Kolodkin
• Judge Brown
• Judge Caracciolo
• Judge Kamga
• Judge Rhee
• Judge Marciniak

Pursuant to article 15, paragraph 2, of the Statute, the Tribunal shall form a chamber to deal with a particular dispute if the parties so request. The composition of such a chamber is determined by the Tribunal with the approval of the parties as provided for in article 30 of the Rules. 

By exchange of letters dated 18 and 19 December 2000, Chile and the European Community informed the Tribunal that they had agreed that the dispute between Chile and the European Community concerning the conservation and the sustainable exploitation of swordfish stocks in the South-Eastern Pacific Ocean should be submitted to a special chamber of the Tribunal, composed of five members, to be formed in accordance with article 15, paragraph 2, of the Statute. 

By Order dated 20 December 2000, the Tribunal formed a special chamber to deal with the Case concerning the Conservation and Sustainable Exploitation of Swordfish Stocks in the South-Eastern Pacific Ocean (Chile/European Union). This was the first time that a case was submitted to a special chamber of the Tribunal. The composition of the Special Chamber was as follows: 

President: Judge P. Chandrasekhara Rao

Members:

• Judge Hugo Caminos
• Judge Alexander Yankov
• Judge Rüdiger Wolfrum
• Mr Francisco Orrego Vicuña, Judge ad hoc 

A Special Agreement was concluded between representatives of the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in Hamburg on 3 December 2014 to submit the dispute concerning the delimitation of their maritime boundary in the Atlantic Ocean to a special chamber of the Tribunal to be formed pursuant to article 15, paragraph 2, of the Statute.

By Order of 12 January 2015, the Tribunal formed a special chamber to deal with the Dispute concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire in the Atlantic Ocean (Ghana/Côte d'Ivoire). The composition of the Chamber was as follows:

President: Judge Boualem Bouguetaia

Members:

• Judge Rüdiger Wolfrum
• Judge Jin-Hyun Paik
• Mr Thomas Mensah, Judge ad hoc (Ghana)
• Judge Ronny Abraham, Judge ad hoc (Côte d’Ivoire)

By Order of 27 September 2019, the Tribunal formed a special chamber to deal with the Dispute concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives). By Order of 15 September 2020, the Tribunal decided that Judge Pawlak would fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Judge Cot from the Special Chamber.

The composition of the Chamber was as follows:

President: Judge Jin-Hyun Paik

Members:

• Judge José Luis Jesus
• Judge Stanislaw Pawlak
• Judge Shunji Yanai
• Judge Boualem Bouguetaia
• Judge Tomas Heidar
• Judge Neeru Chadha
• Mr Nicolaas Schrijver Judge ad hoc (Mauritius)
• Mr Bernard Oxman Judge ad hoc (Maldives)

By Order of 27 April 2023, the Tribunal formed a special chamber to deal with The M/T "Heroic Idun" (No. 2) Case (Marshall Islands/Equatorial Guinea).

The composition of the Chamber is as follows:

President: Judge Albert Hoffmann

Members:

• Judge María Teresa Infante Caffi
• Judge Kathy-Ann Brown
• Mr Gudmundur Eiriksson, Judge ad hoc (Marshall Islands)
• Mr Philippe Couvreur, Judge ad hoc (Equatorial Guinea)