22/12/2025
ASCOMARE Statement on the vessel-to-vessel transfer of arms and other items in anchorage areas
ASCOMARE issued a statement to expresses grave concern at the practice whereby certain States knowingly authorize, facilitate, or turn a blind eye to the provision of services involving arms and dual-use items to vessels that materially support States responsible for, or otherwise contributing to, genocide, apartheid, or other serious violations of peremptory norms of international law (jus cogens). Such services are reportedly provided while the vessels concerned are docked or operating in anchorage areas located outside the territorial sea. The text of the statement can be found here.
07/12/2025
ASCOMARE leaves X (formerly Twitter)
Starting tomorrow, ASCOMARE will no longer be present on X.
Over the past two years, the platform’s direction, including shifts in algorithmic visibility, reduced engagement with key topics, and the persistent promotion of material unrelated to our maritime focus, led us to scale down our activity by 99%, hoping for better times.
Unfortunately, recent developments have made it clear that the environment on X no longer aligns with our values and mission. As a result, we have decided to close our account entirely.
Let’s not forget: collective action is our power, and together we can push change forward.
We remain fully active across our other channels, where open, transparent, and topic-relevant dialogue can truly take place.
You can continue following our work on LinkedIn and through our official channels.
01/09/2025
“Welcome onboard, Wajahat!”
The ASCOMARE team is delighted to welcome Wajahat Sharif. Wajahat holds a PhD from Ankara University and brings extensive research experience in the law of the sea and related fields. He joined ASCOMARE on 1 September, and we look forward to working with him, particularly on ongoing projects concerning human rights at sea.
5/08/2025
ASCOMARE is pleased to announce its participation as a core partner in the Erasmus+ KA153 project “Exploring Blue Economy for Youth Workers,” coordinated by DEHUKAM and funded by EU.
The project aims to strengthen international cooperation in the field of the Blue Economy, involving youth workers in innovative policy development processes through learning activities and knowledge exchange on key areas such as renewable marine energy, sustainable fisheries, marine biotechnology, maritime tourism, underwater mining, and maritime transport.
ASCOMARE is offering four mobility grants for Italian professionals (aged 25–55) active in maritime sectors and working with youth. The grants will cover travel, accommodation, and participation in the training, which will take place in Ankara (Türkiye) from 5 to 8 October 2025. Upon completion, participants will receive an official certificate. Knowledge of English is required.
Interested candidates may apply by sending their CV and a brief statement of interest to info@ascomare.com. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at the same address.
03/06/2025
ASCOMARE Statement on the legislative initiative of Antigua and Barbuda
ASCOMARE issued a statement to welcome Antigua and Barbuda’s adoption of Marine Notice 2025-001, which prohibits arms transfers to Israel that could contribute to crimes against humanity in Palestine. The text of the statement can be found here.
20/03/2025
Legal Opinion Commissioned by the BDS National Committee Now Public
ASCOMARE has issued an expert legal opinion at the request of the Palestinian BDS National Committee, analyzing the obligations of coastal and flag states under international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Authored by 11 leading legal experts, the 49-page opinion affirms that states have both the right and the duty—under UNCLOS and customary international law—to take action against vessels transporting arms used in genocide, apartheid, and other grave human rights violations, or engaging in conduct that breaches peremptory norms of international law binding upon all states.
13/03/2025
New ASCOMARE Report on Small-Scale Fisheries in Italy
ASCOMARE has just published a report on the status of small-scale fisheries in Italy. The report is based on hundreds of interviews conducted by our team, with the support of local authorities, across most Italian coastal regions. The document provides an in-depth analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing the sector, with a particular focus on regulatory aspects and sustainability.
The report is available in Italian at the following link: https://lnkd.in/egMer4rr
24/02/2025
Statement by the Director of ASCOMARE
The Director of ASCOMARE issued a Statement on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and international law. The text of the statement can be found in English and French.
19/10/2024
Blue Ambassador Award 2024
We are delighted to share that on 18 October, the ASCOMARE Yearbook on the Law of the Sea (YLOS) was honored with the prestigious “Blue Ambassador Award 2024” in the Ocean Literacy category.
This recognition is a testament to the outstanding efforts of the ASCOMARE team, the YLOS Editorial Board, our partner institutions (DEHUKAM, CiRAM, BILOS, and ICOG), as well as our reviewers and authors.
This achievement follows the inclusion of YLOS in the International Law Commission’s bibliography of A/CN.4/761 Add.1—another major milestone for our work.
A special thank you to Mrs Chiara Pavesi for her exceptional coordination of YLOS, and to our research associates Mrs Andrea Valentina Salamino and Mr Andrea Bedendi for representing ASCOMARE at the Blue Planet Economy Expoforum.
Information on the YLOS are available here: https://ascomare.com/ylos/
In line with ASCOMARE’s goal to promote knowledge-sharing and facilitate a uniform understanding of the law of the sea worldwide, the YLoS is available in a free and digital open-access format. Open access allows readers from both the North and South to access academic knowledge that is typically behind large paywalls.
Additionally, a paper version of the book is published by ‘Luglio Editore’ (Trieste) and is already available for sale on major e-commerce platforms and the publisher’s website.
ASCOMARE is a not-for-profit organization. All operational costs for this volume and other editorial initiatives are borne by the organization. You can support ASCOMARE’s free and open-access policy by purchasing a paper copy of the Yearbook at this link, or by emailing info@ascomare.com
12/10/2023
Statement by the Director of ASCOMARE
The Director of ASCOMARE issued a Statement on the situation of Palestine and Israel. The text of the statement can be found here.
01/06/2023
Publication of Volume 2 of the Yearbook on the Law of the Sea
ASCOMARE is pleased to present the second Volume of its Yearbook series on the Law of the Sea. The book aims to provide an influential legal viewpoint on the way the corpus of rules of international law, and in particular rules governing maritime spaces and activities, addresses the multilevel nature of fisheries in the Anthropocene.
We take this opportunity to express our gratitude to partner institutions (DEHUKAM, BILOS, ICOG and CiRAM), and all the authors and external contributors, including ITLOS Judge Cabello, Prof. Scovazzi, and Dr. Rosello, for supporting our initiative and objectives. A special thanks goes also to Chiara Pavesi for the fantastic job done in coordinating all the Volume 2 activities, to the Editorial Board of the Yearbook, and to the ASCOMARE team. Nothing would have been possible without all of them.
Congratulations to Fawkes, Nakamura ad Lennan for winning the 2nd Edition of the ASCOMARE award with their article ‘Leveraging International Fisheries Law for Maritime Security in the Anthropocene: Addressing Conflicts in Fisheries’
In line with the goal of ASCOMARE to promote knowledge-sharing and facilitate a uniform understanding of the law of the sea, from 31 June 2023, the Yearbook will be available in a free and open-access digital format on the ASCOMARE webpage.
28/05/2023
ASCOMARE at the Mare Global Forum
The Associazione di Consulenza in Diritto del Mare (ASCOMARE) was one of the int’l institutions invited by the Mayor of Genova, Mr Marco Bucci, to the ‘Mare Global Forum’, held in Genova on 25-26 May 2023. Ms Andrea V. Salamino, and Mr Matteo Bedendi attended the event on behalf of ASCOMARE. The Forum was organised by the ‘Centro Giuseppe Bono – seacs’ and provided an opportunity to discuss issues related to maritime spaces and activities of strategical importance for Italy. Ministers from the Italian government also attended the event.
05/12/2022
ASCOMARE and Law for Palestine celebrate UNCLOS 40 with a double-event on maritime boundary delimitation
The Associazione di Consulenza in Diritto del Mare (ASCOMARE), on behalf of the Consortium for the Study of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy (CONSMAR), and Law for Palestine (L4P) celebrate the 40th anniversary of the opening for signature of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (10 December, 1982) with a double-event on maritime boundary delimitation in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The initiative will develop in two sessions focusing on the boundary delimitation disputes between Palestine-Israel and Lebanon-Israel, respectively. The event will bring together experts and practitioners from Palestine and Lebanon with the goal of discussing challenges and opportunities related to the issues at stake.
12/08/2022
CONSMAR and HMS of the University of Haifa to launch the ‘Eastern Mediterranean Talks’
The Consortium for the Study of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy (CONSMAR), including its founding members, the Ankara University National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law (DEHUKAM), the Associazione di Consulenza in Diritto del Mare (ASCOMARE), the Centro interdipartimentale di Ricerca sull’Adriatico e il Mediterraneo (CiRAM), and the International Center for Ocean Governance (ICOG) of the Western Sydney University, will jointly develop and implemented with the Center for Maritime Policy and Strategy (HMS) of the Haifa University, a series of webinars (“The Eastern Mediterranean Talks”) to discuss maritime boundary delimitation in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The First webinar is scheduled on October 2022, and will include participation of experts from Türkiye, Greece, and Israel.
07/07/2022
Yearbook on the Law of the Sea, Volume 2: selection of abstracts
On Friday (1 July 2022), the Editorial Board of the Yearbook on the Law of the Sea (YLoS) finalised its abstracts’ review exercise for Volume 2 (“Fisheries and the Law of the Sea in the Anthropocene Era”), and selected 10 abstracts among the many applications received from all over the words. The proposed articles touch upon a number of sensitive topics related to the scope of the call, including human rights and fisheries, climate change and environmental implications on fishery conservation measures and food security, national and regional specificity of fishery rules and policies, IUU fishing and maritime security. Full-papers submission is due by September 30.
15/06/2022
“Welcome onboard, Dimitri!”
The ASCOMARE crews welcomes Dimitri Lami. He joined the team in June as a Law of the Sea trainee to support the work of the association in a number of activities, including legal research, data-management, and acquisition. Dimitri graduated in Law at the University of Florence with a thesis on law of the sea and the Area’s regime. He also studied law at the University of Wien, and is carrying out his legal-training at the Court of Pisa.
31/03/2022
Publication of Volume 1 (“Law of the Sea, Interpretation and Definitions”) of the ASCOMARE Yearbook on the Law of the Sea
ASCOMARE is thrilled to inform you about the publication of Volume 1 (“Law of the Sea, Interpretation and Definitions”) of the Yearbook on the Law of the Sea (YLoS) by the Publisher, Luglio Editore.
One year ago, ASCOMARE started a new editorial project to promote the free and open study of the law of the sea by developing a tool to get access to academic knowledge that is normally available behind large paywalls. The project was lead by the YLoS Editorial Board, as coordinated by the Editors in Chief (Mr. Pierandrea Leucci and Dr. Ilaria Vianello) with the help of the ASCOMARE Head of Operations (Mr Marco La Rocca). The initiative was supported by the Brazilian Institute for the Law of the Sea (BILOS) and the Norwegian Center for the Law of the Sea (NCLOS).
A special thanks goes to ITLOS Judge Caracciolo, Prof. Scovazzi and Prof. Ademun-Odeke for their precious time and contributions. Another special thanks goes to all the authors and external reviewers, as well as to the artist Emma Chritchley for the cover’s image, which bridges art and law in a way wonderfully described in the book by Ms Mekhala Dave.
A free and open e-book version of the manuscript will be uploaded on the ASCOMARE website on 1 June 2022.
To help us preserving and further developing our open-access strategy also for the upcoming volumes of the YLoS, you can support our initiative by purchasing a printed copy of the book at http://www.luglioeditore.it/libri.php?cat=40 or by sending an email to info@ascomare.com
24/03/2022
21/02/2022
A consortium of international institutions and experts working together to promote an informed dialogue on the blue economy in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
In line with its objective to promote the study and uniform application of the law of the sea at regional and international level, the Associazione di Consulenza in Diritto del Mare (ASCOMARE), the Centro interdipartimentale di Ricerca sull’Adriatico e il Mediterraneo (CiRAM) of the University of Macerata, the International Centre for Ocean Governance (ICOG) of the University of West Sydney, the National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law (DEHUKAM) of the University of Ankara, and the University of Santiago de Compostela joined their forces to strengthen cooperation and promote an informed and coordinated dialogue on the sustainable use of maritime spaces and resources in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The consortium of international institutions was established in 2021 to exchange views and explore opportunities for cooperation on maritime spatial planning and the blue economy in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Indo-Pacific. The work of the consortium is inspired by paragraph 158 of “The Future We Want” Declaration and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.c, urging States to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of marine spaces and resources by fully implementing international law, and in particular the law of the sea.
The consortium is exploring possible ways to facilitate an informed and coordinated dialogue on the sustainable use of blue resources within the Eastern Mediterranean Region, inter alia, by planning events with local stakeholders and regional initiatives on the blue economy.
The consortium welcomes any expression of interest or request of collaboration from Eastern Mediterranean institutions and stakeholders, including academic experts from Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Palestine, and Syria, working on areas related to the blue economy, such as fisheries, marine environment, navigation, hydrocarbon activities, marine scientific research and maritime boundaries delimitation.
For more information feel free to contact us at info@ascomare.com
09/11/2021
ASCOMARE sponsors the 3rd Seminar of International Studies organised by TADEI/UNSM
ASCOMARE is one the sponsors for the 3rd Seminar of International Studies organised by the ‘Taller de Estudios Internacionales’ (TADEI) of the University of San Marcos (UNSM), Peru, which will be held in a digital format (via Zoom) on 11, 12 and 13 of November. The event aims at bringing together specialists in a number of disciplinary areas of international law, including international environmental law, economic and digital integration, gender and security, private international law, transnational organised crimes, and international relations, with a focus on Latin American challenges and opportunities. The Seminar can be followed (free-of-charges) by registering at this link. Experts from the ASCOMARE’s team, and other partner institutions will also attend the meeting.
01/11/2021
Ms Chiara Pavesi joins the ASCOMARE team
ASCOMARE is happy to welcome Ms Chiara Pavesi as a new member of the team. Ms Pavesi will support the work of the association by conducting legal research on a number of law of the sea issues, as well as by providing editorial assistance in the context of the ASCOMARE Yearbook on the Law of the Sea upcoming initiatives. Ms Pavesi is a law graduate, with specialised studies in international law and the law of the sea carried out in the UK and Italy. She also served as an intern at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, in Hamburg.
20/09/2021
“Welcome onboard, Martina!”
The ASCOMARE crews welcomes Martina Gualtieri. She joined the team in September as a Law of the Sea trainee to support the work of the association in a number of activities, including legal research, data-management, and acquisition. Martina graduated in Law at the University of Florence focusing on the study of International and Human Right Law, including the regulatory framework governing human rights at sea. She also studied law at the University of Leuven, and carried out her legal-trainee at several Italian law firms.
25/06/2021
ASCOMARE signs the BIMCO “Gulf of Guinea Declaration on Suppression of Piracy”
On 23 June 2021, ASCOMARE became a signatory to the “Gulf of Guinea Declaration on Suppression of Piracy“, promoted by the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO).
The Declaration aims at improving maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea by developing a stronger regional, national and international response to maritime piracy. This will have the main advantage of drastically reducing the safety risks of seafarers and other sea-operators working in the West African region, in line with the objectives of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other international treaties promoting a peaceful use of maritime spaces and resources.
16/06/2021
ASCOMARE joins BILOS in celebrations for the first year of the “Ao Mar!” podcast
The President of ASCOMARE, Mr Pierandrea Leucci, took part in the 21st episode of the prestigious “Ao Mar!”, as a member of the International Advisory Board of the Brazilian Institute for the Law of the Sea (BILOS). The episode celebrates the first year from the beginning of the successful podcast’ series organised by BILOS.
The 21st episode of “Ao Mar!” was the opportunity to explore more in details the work carried out by BILOS and its staff to promote the study of the Law of the Sea both in Brazil and overseas. The list of activities conducted by the Institute includes congresses, seminars, the ITLOS Moot Court’s competition, as well as the annual publication of a number of Law of the Sea books and articles.
ASCOMARE and BILOS concluded a partnership agreement for the Yearbook on the Law of the Sea (YLoS) in October 2020, and then agreed to strengthen and expand the scope of their cooperation in March 2021.
Click here to listed to the full “Ao Mar!” 21st episode.
More information about the staff and the activities of BILOS can be found here.
01/04/2021
“Welcome onboard, Filippo!”
The ASCOMARE crews welcomes Filippo Piluso, the new Law of the Sea trainee who joined the team in March to support the work of the association in a number of activities, including the Yearbook on the Law of the Sea (YLoS), the Small-Scale Fisheries Project, and acquisition. Filippo is a law graduate at Luiss Guido Carli University with a thesis in Law of the Sea. He served as Research Analyst at Archipelagos – Institute of Marine Conservation (2021), supported the work of the Organization Legambiente (2016), and worked as Project Manager for an international environmental workcamp in the Regional Park of Castelli Romani on behalf of the same organization (2019).
15/03/2021
The YLoS Editorial Board selected the articles for Volume 1 on “Law of the Sea and Definitions”
Today, the Editorial Board of the Yearbook on the Law of the Sea (YLoS), consisting of members of the ASCOMARE team and external experts, selected the final list of contributions to be included in the text of Volume 1 of the YLoS centering on “Law of the Sea and Definitions.”
The Board was faced with the difficult task of selecting a short number of abstracts from the extensive list of submissions received from all over the world. The task was made even more challenging by the high-quality level of such submissions, as well as by the large number of interesting and well-thought-out papers proposals.
In order to reach its final decision, the Board took into consideration a number of elements, including the object, purpose and quality of the abstract, the originality of the topic, the inter-disciplinary scope of the proposal, and the need to avoid (as far as possible) duplication. One of the aspects that the Board considered with particular appreciation was the efforts made by many authors to look at undefined terms through the lens of some pressing contemporary issues, such as climate change, COVID-19 and human rights considerations.
The team of ASCOMARE would like to take this opportunity to thank all the applicants – regardless of the successful status of their application – for their time, support and valuable contribution.
We are very proud of the incredible number of students and professionals, including scientists, lawyers and economists, who shared their ideas and proposals for this ambitious project.
Looking forward to receiving your submissions also for the next Volume of the YLoS.
01/03/2021
Exchange of letters between ASCOMARE and BILOS on Scientific Cooperation in the Law of the Sea
On February 26th, 2021, the ‘Associazione di Consulenza in Diritto del Mare’ (ASCOMARE) and the Brazilian Institute for the Law of the Sea (BILOS) agreed to strengthen and expand their cooperation in the field of the law of the sea, building on the very successful partnership established in October 2020 for the ASCOMARE Yearbook on the Law of the Sea (YLoS).
The Parties agreed on the importance to promote the study of the law of the sea, whether in Italy, Brazil and abroad, to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of anthropogenic activities on the marine environment, as well as to consolidate an international network of experts and organisations working on the law of the sea and related matters.
The Team of ASCOMARE very much welcomes this new important cooperation with BILOS, which enables the two institutions to proactively promote a better understanding of the law of the sea, while also facilitating an exchange of views on Oceans problems and possible solutions.
07/02/2021
Exchange of letters between ASCOMARE and CiRAM on Scientific Cooperation in the Law of the Sea
On February 6th, 2021, the Associazione di Consulenza in Diritto del Mare (ASCOMARE) and the Centro interdipartimentale di Ricerca sull’Adriatico e il Mediterraneo (CiRAM) of the University of Macerata, agreed on the development of a partnership in the form of an exchange of letters between the President of ASCOMARE, Mr. Pierandrea Leucci, and the CiRAM Coordinator, Prof. Andrea Caligiuri.
In their letters, the Parties highlighted the importance to promote the study of the law of the sea on a national, regional and international level, as well as to consolidate a network of experts and organisations working on cross-sectoral areas of international law.
Building on that, ASCOMARE and CiRAM agreed on a scientific cooperation aiming to plan, develop and jointly implement a number of law of the sea activities and initiatives, whether in Italy and abroad.
The Team of ASCOMARE very much welcomes this important cooperation, which enables the two institutions to proactively promote a better understanding of the law of the sea, while also facilitating an exchange of views on Oceans problems and possible solutions.
04/11/2020
Call for papers – ASCOMARE Yearbook on the Law of the Sea
The Associazione di Consulenza in Diritto del Mare (ASCOMARE) is pleased to announce its upcoming call for papers for the Yearbook on the Law of the Sea (YLoS). The first Volume of the Yearbook will focus on ‘Law of the Sea and Definitions’ and welcomes submissions examining the content and legal scope of undefined terms of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other related instruments.
The Brazilian Institute for the Law of the Sea (BILOS), and the Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea (NCLOS) are supporting the initiative. Such collaboration brings enormous value to the project. The Editorial Board of the Yearbook comprises members of ASCOMARE, as well as international law specialists and academics.
The YLoS will be released in a digital open-access version to allow readers, North and South, to get access to academic knowledge that is normally available only behind large paywalls. Next to the online open-access version, a paper version of the YLoS will also be available for sale.
Concluding with the words of the President of ASCOMARE, Mr Pierandrea Leucci: “Promoting uniformity in the way the law of the sea should be interpreted and applied is one of the main objectives of ASCOMARE. We opted for a Yearbook series since this wants to be the beginning of a journey, and not its final destination. A journey we believe everyone should be able to join, either by contributing to the manuscript, or by getting free access to its content.”
The call for papers is going to be launched on November 9th, 2020. Submissions are welcome both in English and Italian. The most insightful contribution will be awarded with a copy of the prestigious Volume I of the Virginia Commentary. Further information on the initiative will be available here.
ASCOMARE: Associazione di Consulenza in Diritto Internazionale del Mare 