Corfu Channel case
![](/Images/godic/202501/06/Seal_of_the_International_Court_of_Justice3952.png")
![Map of narrow portion of the Corfu channel](/Images/godic/202501/06/Corfu_Channel_topographic_map-en.svg3952.png")
![HMS Volage lost her bow as a result of striking a mine in the Corfu Channel while towing the HMS Saumarez, which had also struck a mine not long before.](/Images/godic/202501/06/HMS_Volage_mined_1946_IWM_A_312083952.jpg")
![Sir Hartley Shawcross addressing the Court](/Images/godic/202501/06/Hartley_Shawcross_before_the_ICJ_in_the_Corfu_Channel_case3952.jpg")
The Corfu Channel case (French:Affaire du Détroit de Corfou) was a public international law case heard before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) between 1947 and 1949, concerning state responsibility for damages at sea, as well as the doctrine of innocent passage. A contentious case, it was the first of any type heard by the ICJ after its establishment in 1945.