Continuing the discussions under way since 1973, the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III) held the first half of its ninth session from March 3 to April 4 in New York. What has been achieved at this meeting?

Already in 1972 legislation for the exploration and subsequent exploitation of the resources of the deep ocean bed was first introduced in the USA. However, action was postponed each year in order to give the UN Law of the Sea Conference an opportunity to come forth with an acceptable treaty...