The purpose of this image (picture) of me (the creator of this website and author of the book and legal expert on UNCLOS, the IMO and PSC) is to underline that this website is focused on informing about my book on UNCLOS and genereally inform and educate on the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea (UNCLOS) and how the provisions of this convention (especially those found in PART XII of UNCLOS regarding port State, flag State and coastal State jurisdiction for enforcement of environmental regulation, such as articles 217, 218, 220 and 228) can be used to effectively enforce international maritime rules for protection of the environment and climate, adopted by the UN’s International Maritime Organization (the IMO).
Especially, focusing on UNCLOS allowing for port States to enforce IMO rules on GHG, irrespective of where the emission violations occur. For example, through Port State Control (PSC). This is relevant for current adopted GHG rules by the IMO, including CII, SEEMP, EEDI and EEXI but also in relation to the adoption of a “fuel standard” following the IMO’s revised GHG strategy. It also analysis how UNCLOS applies to EU regulation addressing GHG from shipping, implemented as part of the EU’s “Fit For 55” legislative package, including adoption of the FuelEU Maritime, including shipping in the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS maritime) and setting reduction goals for shipping in the third version of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII).
The website also discusses, through the analysis of the ILC texts and ICJ caselaw, whether a Fuel Standard rule for not allowing GHG emissions, could be considered the first accepted peremptory environmental norm of a jus cogens character. This would have immense consequences in terms of enforcement, for example by not only conferring jurisdictional rights for all States to enforce following the principle of Universal Jurisdiction, but also by obligating all States (including flag States) to enforce due to such a “jus cogens” norm due to the principle of Erga Omnes. Thus, all States would, irrespective of them being party to international (IMO) legislation and/or UNCLOS, be subject to State Responsibility under the convention of Article on Responsibility of States for International Wrongful Acts (ARIWA) if falling to do so.
The website also has blog where posts are made about developments in relation to UNCLOS, for example the BBNJ agreement, Seabed mining through the International Seabed Authority, ITLOS decisions and advisory opinions, including on climate.
All this, and more, is also described in my book “Enforcing International Maritime Legislation on Air Pollution through UNCLOS” which is also promoted on this website and links are made to where it can be bought, e.g. at Amazon and Hart Publishing from Oxford.
My background for making the conclusions on this website and writing the book (“Enforcing International Maritime Legislation on Air Pollution through UNCLOS”) stems from both working with this subject matter at different Danish authorities (Environmental Protection Agency and the Maritime Authority), but also from teaching International Law (which includes Law of the Sea and UNCLOS and ARSIWA and Jurisdiction and Jus Cogens and Erga Omnes) at Copenhagen University for over 10 years as an associated professor. I have also written articles on this and contributed with chapters for other legal works.

CV
(publications, Teaching, Work)

Curriculum vitae, including information about the author of the book; “Enforcing International Maritime Legislation on Air Pollution through UNCLOS”, specialized skills obtained from parttime teaching law of the sea as associated professor while working fulltime professionally with UNCLOS and IMO (MARPOL, PSC, GHG) for years at different authorities.

Publications

Book; “Enforcing International Maritime Legislation on Air Pollution through UNCLOS” (ISBN 9781509927784). Hart Publishing, Oxford. (2019)
(Available here: Bookshop

Article: “Enforcement of the 2020 sulphur limit for marine fuels: Restrictions and possibilities for port States to impose fines under UNCLOS. “Review of European, Comparative and International Environmental Law (RECIEL) (2019).
(Available here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/reel.12306)
Chapter contribution on MARPOL Annex VI: to the book “International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships: A Commentary” by Editors Henrik Ringbom and Aldo Chircop. (To be published late 2024/ early 2025)

Work CV

2017 – present: Senior Regulatory Manager of International Affairs at A.P. Møller-Mærsk

2016 – 2017: Special legal advisor with the Danish Maritime Authority

2012 – 2016: Head of section at the Danish Environmental Protection Agency

2010 – 2012: Head of section at the Danish Pilotage Authority

2007 – 2010: Head of section at the Danish Working Environment Authority

Teaching CV

2021 – present: Associated professor and censor in ”International Law” at Copenhagen University, Institute of Law
(See webpage from Copenhagen University’s Faculty of Law:
https://forskning.ku.dk/soeg/result/?pure=da%2Fpersons%2Fjesper-jarl-fanoe(1ce57108-ad25-43e4-9896-6c3eea939130)%2Fpublications.html)

2012 – 2020: External teacher and censor in ”International Law” at Copenhagen University, Institute of Law

2014 – 2017: External teacher and censor in ”EU Law” at Copenhagen University, Institute of Law

Interview and presentations

Interview on enforcement of IMO emission regulations through UNCLOS:
https://shipandbunker.com/news/world/398361-trident-alliance-warns-shipowners-against-fonar-use-where-mgo-is-available

Presentation at Copenhagen University on enforcement of an IMO Fuel Standard through UNCLOS:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7200876061033664512/

Presentation at Copenhagen University on UNCLOS in the Artic with focus on emissions :
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6905546265221025792/

Professional Journey

The idea for my book, ‘Enforcing International Maritime Legislation on Air Pollution through UNCLOS’, began in 2014 during my tenure at the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There, I worked on implementing MARPOL Annex VI and the EU Sulphur Directive, which set a global 0,5% sulphur limit and a 0.1% SECA limit for most European waters, into Danish law.

My efforts continued in collaboration with the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA), Danish Attorney-General, and public prosecutors as part of a national emission enforcement Task Force, focusing on enforcing the 0.1% sulphur limit.

From early 2016 to late 2017, I worked at the DMA on port state control (PSC) for MARPOL Annex VI and participated in a national enforcement task force on enforcing emission violations, e.g. of Annex VI, with public prosecutors, district attorney and police. A task forced focused on breaching the gap between PSC imposed fines (often confined to a maximum) and fines imposed via prosecutors and court.

Following that, I joined A.P. Mølle-Mærsk as a Senior Regulatory Advisor in Public Affairs and International Legal Affairs, Energy Transition focusing on decarbonization, especially at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) level, both in relation to the initial IMO GHG-strategy but also the (at MEPC80) IMO revised GHG-strategy from 2023.

In 2014, I also began teaching parttime in International Law at Copenhagen University as an external teacher and censor. The course cover various topics, including the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Law of Treaties (VCLT), State Responsibility (ARSIWA), and State Jurisdiction, including universal jurisdiction and the principles of jus cogens and erga omnes. In 2021 I was made associated professor.

Research and Publications

My experiences at the EPA and DMA, including those obtained from the enforcement task force, along with my academic teaching, inspired me to write about the enforcement challenges related to prescribing dissuasive fines. A notable issue within Port State Control was the misconception that port States could not impose fines for emissions violations occurring outside their territory, including on the high seas, due to UNCLOS limitations.

My theory, now recognized and applied, asserts that Part XII of UNCLOS not only places obligations on flag States (e.g., Article 217) but also grants special jurisdictional rights to coastal and port States (e.g., Articles 220 and 218) for enforcement of IMO regulations. Especially Article 218 allows port States to enforce and sanction all violations of international maritime emission regulations, such as IMO regulations on GHGs under MARPOL Annex VI (EEDI, EEXI, CII), and future codified Fuel Standards per the revised IMO GHG Strategy. Additionally, Article 228.1 clarifies the overlapping jurisdiction between flag States (e.g. following Article 217) and port States (e.g. pursuant to Article 218.)

Moreover, my theory proposes that a future IMO ban on fossil fuels will attain jus cogens status within International Law for environmental protection. This would obligate all States to enforce violations through Universal Jurisdiction and be accountable under the principle of Erga Omnes, with State Responsibility under ARSIWA for any failure to do so.

You can read more about my book, Enforcing International Maritime Legislation on Air Pollution, here: Book About UNCLOS and order it here: Bookshop

You can also follow me on LinkedIn, X or reach out to me on email here: Contact

And thanks to my oldest daugther Esther for making this site following a school project on making sites.

The Stories of Smirtz

We’ve Written Another Book

Actually, we just wanted to give you a further – personal – update, regarding a book project that Esther and I (and her little sister, Arendse) also have been involved in.

We’ve written a book that is called “The Stories of Smirtz.”

It’s a funny book about11 year-old boy called “Smirtz.” He can best be described as the happiest, but also the most confused, boy in the world.

And although he sometimes finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, his heart is in the right place … all the time.

Smirtz is always willing to help, and he always tries to do the right thing. However, despite his good intentions, he and his friends always end up in a lot of trouble.

The “Story” behind the Story

Around six years agoI told on-the-spot Smirtz bedtime stories each evening to Arendse. Back then, she was around 6 years old.

After some time, she wanted to read for herself before bed instead of hearing stories. This later inspired her to start writing herself, and so – about four years ago (circa 2022) – she began writing down the Smirtz stories in Danish, with Esther and quickly joining the project. And for almost two years, we worked on and off on these stories when time permitted.

After finishing them around mid-2024, we made the decision to translate them into English, as it suited our humor far more. (It was also around that time we started our IG account: “@family_writing_a_book” which you can find a link to here: Contact Us [link].)

This translation process has also taken almost two years, as writing in English furthermore opened up a whole new universe of possibilities for refining the stories and making them better.

And so, here we (finally!) are, with the upcoming publication on September 25, 2026 (Arendse’s 13th birthday!)

Who’s the Book for?

EVERYONE! And YES! We truly mean that.

It’s for all ages, with fast-paced, funny adventures for a younger children, but also hidden “Easter egg references” to famous books, movies, and TV series for “older” readers (note, we wrote “older,” not “old!”)

It also takes an ironic look at the sometimes weird behavior of adults/parents, seen through the eyes of a child. (Like telling friends at a dinner party that “the food was fantastic,” only to complain about it in the car on the way home?)

In short, we wanted to write the perfect book for a family to read together.

We have a website where you can read a FREE sample chapter

While we’ve been documenting part of our writing journey on IG since 2024 (see: family_writing_a_book/) , there is SO much more we want to share with the world that a website seemed like the only solution.

We therefore created our own site (thank’s Esther): smirtz.com

There you can also read about us, the book, where to buy it, and our BLOG … an ancient medium the oldest daughter describes as today’s equivalent of “quill and ink.”

And you can read the sample chapter in which “Smirtz Visits a Gym” with his friend Heinrich and meet a fitness influencer, a bodybuilder, and a divorced lifestyle coach who’s taken up spinning … Let the duck-faced/protein powder-smeared/Lycra-enclosed mayhem begin!

Read the sample chapter and table of contents here: https://www.smirtz.com/sample-chapter

We promise, these encounters result in total chaos and mayhem.

The chapter is, as mentioned, followed by the table of contents, as the chapters are divided into sections with funny headlines, some even hiding references to famous movies and books. So, the table of contents shows the kind of humor we bring to the table… of contents. (Dad joke alert).

Sign up for another free chapter

If you enjoy the sample chapter, you can sign up to receive another free chapter on the website here: https://www.smirtz.com/buy-the-book

So, please go and check out www.smirtz.com

The Stories of Smirtz: The Perfect Book for Family Reading Time and a Family Book Club

We wanted to write a book that’s perfect for Family Reading Time or a Family Book Club.

We’ve actually written a blog-post about that on website. You can read the blog here:

The Stories of Smirtz: The Perfect Book For Family Reading Time or Family Book Club

CV(publications, Teaching, Work)