Edwin Tong warns of new maritime tech risks, urges support for international law at UN

SINGAPORE - Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and autonomous ships bring great promise for safety and navigation, but can also introduce serious risks of weaponisation and cyber threats, said Minister for Law Edwin Tong at the United Nations on Oct 29.

Innovation should therefore advance hand-in-hand with safety and security, which requires the global community to work together to uphold the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) even as they harness new technologies, Tong told the UN Security Council (UNSC).

While AI can enhance navigational, communications, and early warning systems for all states, drones or autonomous vessels can be used to interfere with the safe passage of ships. Recent attacks against civilian vessels highlight the risks to maritime safety and seafarers, he added at the high-level debate on maritime security.

At the same session, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for a global maritime truce, after an Oct 28 drone attack sank a Greek container ship off Bulgaria. It was the latest in a series of strikes on ships in the western Black Sea.

Mitsotakis also urged countries not to allow “our seas to become jungles”, and said no bilateral arrangement can override UNCLOS, which provides a framework for cooperation and the peaceful settlement of maritime disputes.

Tong, who spoke on behalf of the Oceans Four countries, said cyber-attacks also pose real world consequences for maritime security, such as when they disable critical ship systems, disrupt port operations, or are used to take control of vessels for unlawful purposes.

The Oceans Four comprises of Fiji, Jamaica, Malta, and Singapore. It is an informal coalition of countries that have played an active role in the negotiation and drafting of UNCLOS, a 1982 convention also known as the Constitution for the oceans.

The minister called on the international community to guard against all actions that threaten international peace and security, and to reject unlawful restrictions on transit passage through straits used for international navigation.

“These include actions that deny, hamper, impede, impair or suspend the right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation. Such actions would constitute violations of UNCLOS,” said Tong.

He said the Oceans Four welcomed the adoption of the International Maritime Organisation’s non-mandatory Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships Code, and supports the development of a mandatory regulatory framework to safely integrate such vessels into global shipping.

“We remain committed to upholding (UNCLOS) as the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out,” he said.

At a separate UN General Assembly session, Tong said governance by international law is not a matter of choice but of survival for small nations, and that Singapore will continue to be a staunch supporter of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), whose work is fundamental to the international order.

It is in this spirit that the city-state has, for the first time, nominated a Singaporean - Ambassador for International Law Rena Lee - for election to be a judge of the court, said the minister.

At the upcoming election scheduled for Nov 3, Lee is among a pool of 10 candidates competing for five open seats on the 15-member court. The elected judges will serve a nine-year term from 2027 to 2036.

Tong said the ambassador is an eminently qualified international law practitioner, government legal advisor and diplomat, with experience spanning the law of the sea, climate and environmental law, international humanitarian law, and human rights law, among other areas of law.

As president of the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), she successfully concluded the negotiations for the high seas treaty under UNCLOS, which is also known as the BBNJ agreement.

Lee previously held stints at the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Ministry of Defence, and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, where she was chief executive, across more than three decades working for the public service.

“If elected, she would bring valuable practical experience and diversity of perspectives alongside legal rigour, including as the first female ICJ judge from the Southeast Asia and from small states,” said Tong.

In an increasingly contested world, upholding international law and the UN Charter will be critical to ensure that might does not make right, especially for small states, he added.

He called on countries to support the court, which he said serves as “the bedrock of the international rule of law and is fundamental to the peaceful settlement of disputes”.

“I reiterate that an effective and strong multilateral rules-based international order is an imperative for all states,” he added.