157-Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua)
157-Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua)
On February 25th, 2015 Costa Rica filed an Application instituting proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Nicaragua concerning a dispute relating the maritime delimitation in the Caribbean sea and the Pacific ocean. Claiming to have exhausted all diplomatic channels, the applicant asked the Court to ”to determine the complete course of a single maritime boundary between all the maritime areas appertaining, respectively, to Costa Rica and to Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea and in the Pacific Ocean, on the basis of international law”.
By an order od May 31st, 2016, the ICJ decided to carry out an expertise in order to establish certain factual points, in particular the state of the coast between each of the two points serving as the starting point of the maritime border in the Carribean sea for both parties.
Noting the existing link between this case and the case number 165-Land Boundary in the Northern Part of Isla Portillos (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua), the Court decided to join both proceedings.
The ICJ ruled on the merits on the case in its judgment of February 02nd, 2018 in which it, among other things, in which it, among other things, determined the course of the single maritime borders between Costa Rica and Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In particular, it decided that the maritime boundary between the two States in the Caribbean Sea follows the line described in paragraphs 106 and 158 of the judgment and that that in the Pacific Ocean follows the line described in paragraphs 175 and 201 of the said judgment.
This summary is provided for informational purposes only, does not involve the responsibility of Dome and should in no way be used as a substitute for a careful reading of the judgment and order of the case.
