Commentary on the Rules of the Tribunal, published in 2006 and contributed to by a number of ITLOS members, two views are presented: One, that there is no legal basis for Rule 138 since
UNCLOS expressly confers advisory jurisdiction only on the Seabed Disputes Chamber, and the opposing view, that nothing in
UNCLOS would preclude the ITLOS full court from exercising advisory jurisdiction. It seems highly unlikely that ITLOS would decline to exercise the advisory jurisdiction requested of it by the Sub Regional Fisheries Commission. In which case this will...