ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the concept of joint development of offshore seabed resources. It discusses the key elements that distinguish joint development from other concepts such as cross-border unitisation. The chapter outlines the reasons that make joint development generally appealing, both in terms of promoting inter-State cooperation over seabed activities but also in terms of stimulating energy investments in disputed maritime areas. It describes the legal foundations of joint development in international law. The chapter explores whether States are under a legal obligation to enter into joint development agreements, pending the settlement of their maritime boundaries. It considers the different operative models in which joint development schemes can be structured and implemented having regarded to successful or unsuccessful precedents in State practice. The single state authority model is the simplest form of joint development in that it requires the least amount of institutional harmonisation between the participating States’ domestic legal systems.
