Professor Vivian Forbes is one of the world’s most distinguished authorities on maritime boundaries.He has a master’s degree, a doctorate, and a higher doctorate (DLitt,) from Australian universities, and his advice is frequently sought by governments and institutions in Asia and Australia. He has lectured on the subject in many counties, displaying both his great learning and his diplomatic sensitivity. While based in Perth Western Australia, he has held important Distinguished Visiting positions in Universities in China, Malaysia and elsewhere.His erudition is based on a rare combination of practical experience at sea as a merchant navy officer, a very detailed knowledge of the legal instruments of many countries appertaining to the issue and the relevant international agreements, together with an outstanding competence in the fields of navigation, survey, and cartography. These skills are supplemented by competence in administration. He managed one of the largest map libraries in the southern hemisphere with great efficiency for 36 years.Professor Forbes has a highly distinguished research record: he has published a number of books and several hundred papers in well-known and important journals. He is particularly well-known for his atlases of maritime affairs.Professor Forbes particular expertise is in the maritime regimes of the Asia-Pacific arena, but he has also published extensively on the boundary problems of the Indian Ocean basin, the Polar regions, and remote islands in many parts of the world.
