Laura joined the IES in October 2010 as part of the Environment and Sustainable Development Cluster. She graduated June 2010 and holds a master’s degree in Law (UGent) and a second master’s degree in Maritime Sciences (UGent-UA). Her research is situated within the Law of the Sea.

The title of her PhD is “Navigation in the Arctic”, focusing on the present-day and future possibilities for (trans) Arctic shipping due to climate change and this from a legal perspective.

Keywords: arctic, climate change, environment, safety, navigation rights.

The warming of the Arctic already negatively affects the Arctic species, habitats and ecosystems, a trend that will influence oceans around the globe as the Arctic is essentially connected. However, as previously closed trade routes are opening up, holding great promise for navigation, additional stress will be placed on this already fragile environment due to negative impacts from shipping such as collisions, vessel strikes on marine mammals, operational and accidental discharge of oil and other hazardous substances, noise pollution and the introduction of alien species through ballast water discharge. In addition to these environmental threats, exists the issue of safe navigation. Even though the sea routes are opening up, shipping conditions are in no way comparable to waters elsewhere in the world, an issue aggravated by the lack of sufficient infrastructure in the Arctic. The dissertation will question the current legal framework in place and assess whether it is sufficient or whether additional, Arctic specific measures are needed and if so, how these should be constructed. The exercise to be made therefore, is balancing the navigational rights with the appropriate environmental safeguards so as to ensure safe and sustainable shipping. Departing from the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention as the basic legal framework, she will investigate the issue of law-development on an international, regional and national level and emphasis will be made on the role that Europe could and possibly will play in this debate.

E. Franckx and L. Boone "New Developments in the Arctic: Protecting the Marine Environment from Increased Shipping" in M.H. Nordquitst et al (eds.) The Law of the Sea Convention US Accession and Globalization (Martinus Nijhoff Publisher, Leiden/Boston: 2012) 178-205.