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This book examines the concept and purpose of joint development agreements of offshore hydrocarbon deposits from the perspective of public international law and the law of the sea, taking into consideration and extensively reviewing State practice concerning seabed activities in disputed maritime areas and when hydrocarbon deposits extend across maritime boundaries. It distinguishes between agreements signed before and after the delimitation of maritime boundaries and analyzes the relevance of natural resources or unitization clauses included in maritime delimitation agreements. It also takes into consideration the relation between these resources and maritime delimitation and analyzes all the relevant international jurisprudence. Another innovative aspect of this book is that it examines the possibility of joint development of resources that lay between the continental shelf and the Area, considering both theoretical and practical problems. As such, the book is a useful tool for scholars and experts on public international law and the law of the sea, but also for national authorities and practitioners of international disputes resolution, as well as public and private entities working in the oil and gas industry.

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Chapter 1 Introduction.- Chapter 2 The Concept and Purpose of Joint Development of Hydrocarbon Deposits.- Chapter 3 Joint Development Agreements in International Law in General.- Chapter 4 Mineral Resources Clauses in Delimitation Treaties and Joint Development Agreements.- Chapter 5 Joint Development Agreements in Cases of Transboundary Hydrocarbon Deposits.- Chapter 6 Joint Development Agreements in Areas of Overlapping Claims: Legal Regime.- Chapter 7 Joint Development Agreements in Areas of Overlapping Claims: State Practice.- Chapter 8 The Role of Mineral Resources in Maritime Delimitation.- Chapter 9 Resources that Lie between the Continental Shelf and the Area (Art. 142 of UNCLOS).- Chapter 10 Conclusions and Outlook.

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