Bosphorus Queen Shipping Ltd Corporation v Rajavartiolaitos (The “Bosphorus Queen”) – CJEU Case C-15/17 (L Bay Larsen, President of Chamber, Judge J Malenovský (Rapporteur), Judge M Safjan, Judge D Šváby and Judge M Vilaras) – 11 July 2018

International Law of the Sea – European Union law – Ship source oil pollution – Foreign vessel discharging oil in coastal state’s exclusive economic zone – Entitlement of coastal state to detain and fine foreign vessel – United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, article 220(6) and EU Directive 2005/35/EC, article 7(2)

On 11 July 2011 the vessel Bosphorus Queen, owned by Bosphorus Queen Shipping Ltd Corporation (Bosphorus), discharged oil into the sea while in transit through Finland’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The discharge was made at the outer edge of the EEZ some 25 to 30 km from the Finnish coast.