THE M/T "HEROIC IDUN" (No 2) (MARSHALL ISLANDS/EQUATORIAL GUINEA)

Case No 32, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Special Chamber, President Hoffmann, Judges Infante Caffi, Brown, Judges ad hoc Eiriksson, Couvreur, 27 May 2026

Law of the sea – Vessel seized and crew held by navy upon request from third country – Flag state seeking reparation or compensation – "Indispensable third party" principle – Exhaustion of local remedies – Freedom of navigation – Definition of piracy – Exclusive economic zone – United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, articles 56, 58, 87, 90, 92, 225, 283, 286, 288, 292, 296-297, 300, SOLAS, STCW, COLREGs

The Marshall Islands (MI), as flag state of the VLCC Heroic Idun, sought compensation from Equatorial Guinea (EG) in respect of what it said were violations of its flag state rights by EG naval vessels.