Withers successfully represents Mexico before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

Withers’ public international law team has successfully represented the Government of Mexico in the Zheng He case (Luxembourg/Mexico), an international dispute brought by Luxembourg before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (“ITLOS”) under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS”).

The dispute concerned the Zheng He, a dredger vessel flying the flag of Luxembourg. In October 2023, the vessel departed The Bahamas bound for the Port of Tampico, on Mexico’s Gulf Coast. On 21 October 2023, the Zheng He arrived at the Port of Tampico, within Mexico’s internal waters. Mexico subsequently imposed customs duties, which Luxembourg alleged, among others, amounted to a violation of the right of innocent passage recognized under UNCLOS.

Withers worked closely with Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resolve the dispute and achieve a favorable outcome for Mexico. On 13 March 2026, the Zheng He departed the Port of Tampico and proceeded to the high seas. The case was subsequently removed from the Tribunal’s list on 16 March 2026. At that time, it was one of only two cases pending before ITLOS.

The Withers team was led by Floriane Lavaud and Hussein Haeri KC, and included Special Counsel Camilla Gambarini and Jovana Crncevic, associates Maanya Tandon, Sudipta Purkayastha, Marco Seregni, Eva Keita, and paralegal Niccolò Dell’Alba.