International Law Overview

General Course 2010-11 ► Introduction: state territory

Lecture 5 ► Sources

Law of the sea ► Maritime zones

► Navigation in areas under the jurisdiction of
a state
Prof. dr. M.M.T.A. Brus ► Navigation on the high seas
► Any other subject if time allows

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Law of the Sea: from freedom to

State territory
regulated use
► Definition of the territory of the state ► Interests:

Land and internal waters, territorial sea

Communication, resource exploitation, military power,

Airspace above its land, internal waters and territorial environment
sea
► Aquisition of territory in modern international law ► Interest groups:

On basis of agreement (cession)
maritime powers, coastal states, developing countries

Accretion ► Approaches:

Conquest or annexation with use of force is illegal
► Duty of other states not to recognise as legal (e.g. Wall opinion,
Freedom: 17th to mid-20th century
para 121, 163D; GARes 2625 (1970) principle I)
Qualified freedom: 1930 – 1972
► Antarctica: demilitarization; freezing of state
Regulated use: 1972 – present
claims
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Sources Maritime zones

► Customary law ► Zone under the exclusive territorial
► Codification jurisdiction of the coastal state

UNCLOS I, II, III ► Zones under the exclusive functional

Conventions jurisdiction of the coastal state
► 1958 conventions
► Area outside the jurisdiction of any state
► 1982 convention (LOSC) + agreement on implementation
(1994) ► Area under the common jurisdiction of

Straddling fish stocks convention (1995)
mankind
► Many other regional and global conventions, see UN Oceans
and Law of the Sea.and e.g. The International Maritime ► [Study the main rights and duties of states
Organization
in all zones]
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 Determining the zones
► Baselines (art. 7 LOSC)
► Delimitation of coastal zones (study only the
general principles)

Equidistance/special circumstances rule (art 15
LOSC)

Equitable principles rule (art 74 and 83 LOSC)
►Further elaborated in case law (but “the application
of the law … remains as mysterious as ever.” Evans
2003)

Making claims beyond 200 nm? The Arctic
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New Seafloor Maps May Bolster U.S.

Arctic Claims
National Geografic

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Islands (art. 121 LOSC) and artificial

islands (e.g. art. 60 LOSC)

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Navigation in areas under the

jurisdiction of a state
► Freedom of navigation ?
► Nationality of ships (art. 91 LOSC)

Flags of convenience
► Navigation and jurisdictional rights of the coastal
state over foreign ships in

internal waters

the territorial sea
► Innocentpassage (art 19)
► Civil
and criminal jurisdiction
► Immunities (art 27 & 28)

the contiguous zone

straits for international navigation (38)

the EEZ
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Navigation in archipelagic waters (52-53) 22

Navigation on the high seas Hyperlinks

► Freedoms of the high seas ►UN Oceans and Law of the Sea:
► Exceptions to flag state jurisdiction http://www.un.org/Depts/los/index.htm

Right of visit (art. 110 LOSC) ►The International Maritime Organization:

Piracy (art. 101 LOSC) http://www.imo.org

Hot pursuit (art 111 LOSC)

Drugs trafficking ►LOSC :

Slavery http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreement

Broadcasting s/texts/unclos/closindx.htm

Not with regard to pollution ►National Geographic:

Some limited inspection rights in the Straddling Stocks Convention http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/0
► The Proliferation Security Initiative 80212-AP-arctic-grab.html

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