Comments on the ICJ Judgment on Delimitation of the Continental Shelf between Nicaragua and Colombia beyond 200 Nautical Miles from the Nicaraguan Coast (Nicaragua v. Colombia) on 13 July 2023

Tomasz Kamiński; Paweł Natorski

doi:10.21697/2025.14.2.05

Published: 2026-02-23

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2025)

Comments on the ICJ Judgment on Delimitation of the Continental Shelf between Nicaragua and Colombia beyond 200 Nautical Miles from the Nicaraguan Coast (Nicaragua v. Colombia) on 13 July 2023

Tomasz Kamiński

, Paweł Natorski

Polish Review of International and European Law

Section: Case comments

https://doi.org/10.21697/2025.14.2.05

Abstract

This paper offers a critical analysis of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment of 13 July 2023 in the Nicaragua v. Colombia (NICOL II) case, situating it as a crucial but controversial decision in the development of the law of the sea. Focusing on the Court’s interpretation of Article 76 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the paper examines how the ICJ identified a customary rule prohibiting a State from extending its continental shelf within 200 nautical miles of another State’s baselines, thereby prioritizing the distance criterion over natural prolongation.

The crucial question for international law is whether the Court, in formulating this rule, interpreted existing customary law or effectively created a new one. This article focuses on the position of the Court establishing that the right to an extended continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles may not encroach upon another State’s exclusive economic zoneor continental shelf, and explores its broader implications for maritime delimitation and state practice.

The paper concludes that, although the NICOL II judgment holds significant importance for the settlement of future disputes concerning the continental shelf and may contribute to ending maritime conflict between Nicaragua and Columbia, it simultaneously blurs the line between interpretation and law-making in the ICJ’s approach to customary international law.

Keywords:

continental shelf, delimitation of maritime areas, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), customary international law, grey areas

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Kamiński, T., & Natorski, P. (2026). Comments on the ICJ Judgment on Delimitation of the Continental Shelf between Nicaragua and Colombia beyond 200 Nautical Miles from the Nicaraguan Coast (Nicaragua v. Colombia) on 13 July 2023. Polish Review of International and European Law, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.21697/2025.14.2.05

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