Introduction

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (the "PCA") has witnessed unprecedented growth in its caseload in the past 15 years. Part of this growth can be attributed to a rise in arbitrations concerning the law of the sea, a product of arbitration's place as the default mechanism for the compulsory settlement of disputes under Part XV of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (the "Convention"). The first part of this chapter explores how and why so many cases concerning the law of the sea have taken the form of arbitrations administered by the PCA. The second part examines ...