Chapter 18: The law of the sea

A video tutorial from author Gleider Hernández introducing the topics in chapter 18 of International Law

View the transcript here.

Key points for reflection:

  • Law of the sea tries to balance out desires to exercise sovereignty with common interests
  • Common interests in freedom of navigation, of exploiting resources (both living and non-living), and of communication (e.g. cable-laying)
  • States have attempted to codify what used to be a largely customary system at two junctures:
    • 1958 Geneva Conventions on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone, the High Seas, and the Continental Shelf
    • 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
  • Issues of sovereignty and jurisdiction in different maritime zones
  • The ‘High Seas’ and the notion of res communis
  • Issues of common concern: delimitation of maritime boundaries, fisheries, and pollution

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