International Cable Protection Committee

Malaysia’s Minister of Transport has formally exempted cable ships conducting repairs in Malaysian waters from cabotage restrictions under Malaysia’s Merchant Shipping Ordinance (1952). Absent this relief, cable owners and maintenance authorities would be required to use a Malaysian-flagged ship for such repairs. The ICPC welcomes this development, for which it and its members have advocated directly and within ASEAN. Malaysia’s action runs counter to the regional trend of more burdensome cabotage restrictions. For further information and context, please see the Transport Minister’s order [?] and related news articles [?].

Each year, the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) sponsors the Rhodes Academy Submarine Cables Writing Award for a deserving paper addressing submarine cables and their relationship with the law of the sea. With the award, the ICPC seeks to foster scholarship regarding submarine cables and the law of the sea and promote the rule of law as applied to submarine cables. In 2018, the selection jury chose Ms. Liao Xuexia of China as the winner for her paper titled: “Protection of Submarine Cables against Acts of Terrorism.”

Rhodes Academy. Each year, the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy brings together approximately 50 mid-career professionals from around the world to study and learn from leading ocean law and science scholars, judges, and practitioners (including ICPC representatives) about the law of the sea and its key legal instrument—the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It is organised by a consortium of research universities and institutes and led by the University of Virginia. The Rhodes Academy’s twenty-fourth session will convene from 30 June to 19 July 2019, in Rhodes, Greece. Numerous students affiliated with ICPC Members have graduated from the Rhodes Academy and the ICPC is proud to support the program. For more information about the Rhodes Academy (including application procedures), visit: https://colp.virginia.edu/Rhodesacademy.

The Award. The award winner will receive either guaranteed admission and a full scholarship (covering the attendance fee, travel expenses, and shared hotel room) to the 2019 Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy, or for a graduate of the Rhodes Academy from a prior year, the winning recipient will receive a cash award of £4,500. The winner will also be invited to speak at the ICPC Plenary meeting in 2020.

Eligibility and Process. The Rhodes Academy Submarine Cables Writing Award is open to any person aspiring to attend the Rhodes Academy (the candidate must meet the admissions requirements) or a Rhodes Academy Graduate from a prior year. Papers should be suitable for publication in a scholarly international law journal and must consist of 7,500 – 10,000 words (excluding footnotes). To register to compete for the award, interested candidates should send an abstract (no more than 300 words) and a short biography to the Centre for International Law (CIL) at the National University of Singapore, lawtmd@nus.edu.sg, which administers the competition on behalf of ICPC and the Rhodes Academy. Papers must be submitted to CIL via: lawtmd@nus.edu.sg no later than 1 April 2019. Papers will be reviewed anonymously by the selection jury, consisting of two members designated by the Rhodes Academy and one by the ICPC. The Jury will announce the award winner by 1 May 2019.

Extended Abstract Submission Date: 8 March 2019

Every year the ICPC Plenary attracts a global and industry-specific audience to consider the protection of submarine cables—the infrastructure of the Internet. Participation provides an excellent opportunity to engage with submarine cable owners, suppliers, installers, surveyors, academics and service providers regarding the planning, installation, operation, protection and maintenance of submarine cables.

The 2019 ICPC Plenary will take place in the Courtyard Liberty Station Hotel in San Diego, California USA from 14-16 May 2019. The ICPC asks interested presenters to submit abstracts for proposed presentations no later than Friday, 8 March 2019. The ICPC welcomes abstracts from ICPC Members and other interested parties.

ICPC’s three-day conference offers participants the opportunities to enhance their industry knowledge for networking with colleagues and customers as well as meeting with exhibitors whom will be showcasing their products and services. Delegates will find an agenda full of pertinent presentations, round tables and interviews and the ICPC welcomes the opportunity for the industry to make the first step in reserving your place at the ICPC’s annual event by submitting a presentation abstract in response to the Call for Papers.

The theme for the 2019 Plenary is ‘Critical Infrastructure across the Oceans—protecting submarine cables and the marine environment.’ The ICPC suggests the following presentation topics, but abstracts on additional relevant topics are also welcome:

• The future of submarine cable protection—news and developments
• International power cables—growth and challenges
• Expanding the cable network and protecting the world’s oceans
• Innovative and challenging cable routes
• Technology for submarine cable security and resilience
• Operation and maintenance trends
• Law, policy and international cables
• Sharing the seabed with competing uses

For any enquiries, please send an e-mail to the ICPC Secretariat via: secretary@iscpc.org.