The Legal Regime of Offshore Oil Rigs in International Law

This book reviews and examines the relevant portions of all international treaties, cases and the national law and practice of states, in relation to international aspects of offshore oil rigs. By doing so, it offers an understanding of the legal regime surrounding oil rigs and formulates an international law framework. It investigates the issues under consideration by analyzing provisions of international law pertaining to all aspects of oil rigs, as well as international treaties and their travaux preparatoires. It also examines the national legislation of major offshore oil and gas producers and defines a framework of customary international entities such as the OSPAR and the petroleum industries of certain major offshore oil producers. Based upon the book's findings, it is clear that in spite of their increasing importance, offshore oil installations are subject to fragmentary and vague legal rules under international law.

Contents: Introduction; Types and physical nature of offshore oil rigs; The legal status of offshore oil rigs; Jurisdiction of states in relation to oil rigs; Protection of offshore rigs; Environmental issues relating to offshore oil rigs; The decommissioning of offshore oil rigs; The conflict between the use of oil rigs, navigation and other uses of the sea; Conclusions; Bibliography; Index.

Hossein Esmaeili, The University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia