British jurist Vaughan Lowe, emeritus professor of public international law at the University of Oxford, will be the judge ad hoc chosen by the United Kingdom in the case between Argentina and London before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea over hydrocarbon exploitation north of the Falklands. Lowe will make his solemn declaration on Monday, November 9, the day before the hearing.
According to a statement from the Hamburg-based tribunal, the public sitting will be held at 10 a.m. in the main courtroom, where Lowe will make the declaration required under article 9 of its Rules. The tribunal's Statute allows a party that has no judge of its nationality among its members to choose one for a specific case. Lowe, who held the Chichele Professorship of Public International Law at Oxford, is one of Britain's most prominent experts on the law of the sea.
The hearing on provisional measures in the case officially named the Case concerning hydrocarbon exploitation in the South-West Atlantic Ocean (Argentina v. United Kingdom) will take place on November 10 and 11. Argentina requested four measures on October 13, including that the United Kingdom prevent exploitation of the Sea Lion field and refrain from granting new permits. London has said it will take part and challenge any attempt to use the proceedings to settle sovereignty. The sittings will be public and broadcast live on the tribunal's website.