The United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (‘UNCLOS’) is hailed as one of the most significant multilateral legal agreements executed in the past few decades. However, its shortcomings are neither trivial nor inconsequential, especially regarding maritime boundary disputes involving hydrocarbon resources. This monograph examines the relationship between UNCLOS and maritime boundaries in five non-polar regions, encompassing almost 90% of global unresolved disputes involving offshore hydrocarbon development. The regions, which include the eastern Mediterranean, the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, northeast Asia, and the South China Sea, were chosen for their oil and gas resources potential and recent military skirmishes that have the potential to lead to wider regional confrontations. The book addresses each region’s maritime boundary status in the context of specific articles within UNCLOS that have been exploited by disputing states to justify their overlapping claims. The history and future applicability of multilateral Joint Development Area agreements for each region are evaluated for their potential to provide a cooperative solution to resolve ongoing tensions. Highlighting the limitations of current ‘gun-boat’ diplomacy, the monograph makes practical suggestions for new paradigms for resolving outstanding disputes, promoting lasting peace and generating economic benefits resulting from resource development.

Cleaner and more versatile than other hydrocarbons, natural gas has never had a brighter future. The new edition of Fundamentals of Natural Gas thoroughly explains the massive evolution of natural gas and LNG, from technology advances and vast new reserves. As forecasts of worldwide consumption increase dramatically, this "prince of hydrocarbons" is the natural choice for electric power, heating, and as an industry feedstock. Features of the Second Edition: Growth of unconventional shale gas technology and production Rise of LNG export projects from the United States International adoption of gas-on-gas pricing Impact of LNG mega-projects and the adjusting economics of these ventures