General Information - Overview
Facilities

The Tribunal's headquarters include a modern concrete and glass building, as well as a nineteenth-century villa. Constructed by the German Government at a cost of EUR 63 million, the headquarters are provided to the Tribunal rent-free. Courtrooms The main courtroom is used for plenary sittings of the Tribunal of 21 judges and of the Seabed Disputes Chamber. The bench has seating for judges ad hoc and for experts appointed under article 289 of the Convention. The courtroom has seating for a capacity of 250 people. There are two smaller courtrooms to be used for sittings of the chambers of the Tribunal (Chamber for Marine Environment Disputes, Chamber for Fisheries Disputes, Chamber of Summary Procedure) and any ad hoc chambers that might be established at the request of the parties to a dispute. Each courtroom is equipped with modern courtroom technology, enabling the parties to give presentations which appear on monitors before the judges, parties, witnesses, interpreters and the public, as well as allowing a video-link connection to witnesses unable to travel to Hamburg. Interpretation booths and media transmission services are also installed. Meeting rooms There are three deliberation rooms for judicial deliberations as well as for use during the organizational sessions of the Tribunal. Conference rooms Conference rooms are available for the use of the parties to a dispute during hearings.