Acknowledgements
Much of the research contained in this book began as part of my PhD at the University of Cambridge, where I was enormously fortunate in the support I received from the Faculty of Law, Wolfson College, Squire Law Library and the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law. First and particular thanks are due to my supervisor, the late Professor James Richard Crawford. I am indebted to his critical and constructive comments on drafts, which had significantly improved this work. The topic of my PhD originated in the course of writing a master’s thesis under the supervision of the late Professor Alan Boyle at the University of Edinburgh, and I was lucky to have the benefit of his early influence. My research work at Cambridge was enriched by the discussions with many scholars and colleagues. In this regard, I would like to thank Dr Naomi Burke, Dr Thomas D Grant, Professor Christine D Gray, Professor Martti Koskenniemi, Dr Federica Paddeu, Dr Kate Purcell, Dr Rumiana Yotova, Professor Malcolm Nathan Shaw and Professor Surabhi Ranganathan. I was fortunate to have had Professor Andrew Serdy and Professor Douglas Guilfoyle as my doctoral examiners who furnished comprehensive, demanding and beneficial comments for me to finalise the dissertation.
Since the completion of the PhD, I had the opportunity to discuss the topic of my research with a number of scholars who have contributed to sharpen my intellectual thinking about the development and implementation of the law of the sea. I wish to express my gratitude for the advice, guidance and support received from numerous mentors and colleagues with whom I crossed paths during my tenure at the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore. I had the privilege to engage with and learn from the pioneers who had negotiated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: Professor Tommy Koh Thong Bee, Professor Shunmugam Jayakumar, Ambassador Hasjim Djalal and the late Ambassador Satya N. Nandan. I have had many opportunities to discuss my thoughts on various ocean law and policy topics with Emeritus Professor Robert Charles Beckman, Dr Leonardo Bernard, Professor Aldo Chircop, Sze-Wei Chan, Denise Cheong, Assistant Professor Tara Maria Davenport, Associate Professor Michael Ewing-Chow, Dr Lynn Kuok, Junianto James Losari, Dr Youna Le Berre Lemaire Lyons, Millicent McCreath, Ambassador Arif Havas Oegroseno, Dr Nilüfer Oral, Dr Hao Duy Phan, Captain J Ashley Roach and Ranyta Yusran.
The transformation from dissertation to book was completed during my time at the World Maritime University–Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, and I am grateful for the guidance and support of Professor Ronán Long and Professor Clive Schofield. Many other scholars and colleagues have provided me with insightful advices and comments, and I wish to express my gratitude especially to Professor Mariano Javier Aznar Gómez, Dr Ríán Derrig, the late Professor Meinhard Doelle, Professor David Freestone, Professor James Harrison and Assistant Professor Aleke Stöfen-O’Brien. I have benefitted from a supportive environment at the Insitute where I was surrounded by an energetic and motivated international multidisciplinary team. I would like to acknowledge the generous funding of the Institute by The Nippon Foundation. My thanks also to my colleagues at the Secretariat, the Procurement Office, the Finance Office and Office of the President for their assistance during the delivery of the manuscript.
I would like to express my gratitude to Joe Ng for accepting the book proposal and supporting me through the publication process. I thank the anonymous reviewers and the editorial team at Cambridge University Press for all their assistance in producing this book. I also thank Susan Rolston for proofreading the manuscript, Rosie Wood for preparing the index and Dr Robin Cleverly for providing me with a map.
Essential to me throughout this undertaking are those who provided indispensable moral support. I thank my families and friends for their unconditional love and affection which I have relied on at all stages of my life.
Last, I want to thank the Nippon Foundation and the World Maritime University for the financial support of the Gold Open Access.
Open access