Towards the acceptance of the equidistance rule in the delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone: the role of international jurisprudence

The delimitation of maritime zones is an arena where international law is confronted with the infinite variety of nature and the multifaceted economic interests of States in the wealth of the sea. This struggle becomes even fiercer because of the need to delimit maritime zones with different purposes, as they are established in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, most importantly the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone. Thus, the problem of the method to be followed in a maritime delimitation arises. The present paper seeks to examine the role of case law of international courts and tribunals in the establishment of a rule of international law according to which such delimitation is to be effected.