The Ocean Cleanup is a Dutch non-profit organisation on a mission to develop and deploy pioneering technology to rid the oceans of plastic. Considering the unique nature of the activity and the technology involved, it is not immediately self-evident which international regulations are directly applicable to this novel use of the high seas. The Dutch government, however, pledged to support the endeavour, and entered into a tailor-made Agreement with The Ocean Cleanup in order to ensure that its activities are conducted in accordance with general international law on maritime safety, the protection of the marine environment, and other legitimate uses of the high seas. This article reflects critically on the parties’ choice to base the Agreement ‘by analogy’ on the Law of the Sea Convention’s provisions on marine scientific research, and analyses the relationship of its core provisions with applicable international law, as well as identifying potential gaps.

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荷兰：The Ocean Cleanup 与荷兰之间的 2018 年协议

The Ocean Cleanup 是一家荷兰非营利组织，其使命是开发和部署开创性技术以清除海洋中的塑料。考虑到活动的独特性质和所涉及的技术，哪些国际法规直接适用于公海的这种新用途并不是不言而喻的。然而，荷兰政府承诺支持这项努力，并与海洋清理组织签订了一项量身定制的协议，以确保其活动按照关于海上安全、保护海洋环境、公海的其他合法用途。本文批判性地反映了各方选择将协定“类比”建立在《海洋法公约》关于海洋科学研究的条款的基础上，