The “Arctic Sunrise” - International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Yanai P, Hoffmann VP) – 22 November 2013

International law of the sea – Russian Federation boarding and detaining Netherlands-flagged vessel in Russian exclusive economic zone – Netherlands contending that Russian Federation acted in breach of international law and instituting arbitration proceedings – Whether Netherlands entitled to “prescription of provisional measures” pending determination of dispute – UNCLOS article 290, para 5

On 19 September 2013 the Netherlands-flagged vessel Arctic Sunrise, while in the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation, was boarded by Russian authorities who detained the vessel and the 30 persons on board. The vessel was subsequently towed to the port of Murmansk.