United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is a comprehensive international agreement establishing a legal framework for the use, conservation, and management of the world's oceans and seas. It defines various maritime zones, including the territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and the continental shelf, while establishing the International Seabed Authority to manage the 'Area' (the seabed beyond national jurisdiction) as the common heritage of mankind. The document details the rights and duties of coastal and land-locked states, rules for navigation and innocent passage, obligations for the protection of the marine environment, and mechanisms for the settlement of maritime disputes.

• The Convention establishes a territorial sea with a breadth that every State has the right to set up to a limit of 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines determined by the Convention.
• The exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea that may extend up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines. Within this zone, the coastal State has sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources, including energy production from water, currents, and winds.
• The continental shelf comprises the seabed and subsoil of submarine areas extending beyond the territorial sea to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to 200 nautical miles where the margin does not extend that far. Coastal States exercise sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting its natural resources.
• The 'Area' is defined as the seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. It and its resources are declared the 'common heritage of mankind', and no State may claim sovereignty or sovereign rights over any part of it.
• The International Seabed Authority is established to organize and control activities in the Area, particularly the administration of its resources. Its principal organs include an Assembly, a Council, and a Secretariat, with the Enterprise serving as the organ for direct activities in the Area.
• Ships of all States, including land-locked ones, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea, provided the passage is not prejudicial to the peace, good order, or security of the coastal State.
• States have a general obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment. They must take all necessary measures to prevent, reduce, and control pollution from any source, including land-based sources, vessels, dumping, and the atmosphere.
• Land-locked States have the right of access to and from the sea and freedom of transit through the territory of transit States to exercise their rights under the Convention, including the freedom of the high seas.
• The Convention establishes the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, to settle disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention.
• The high seas are open to all States and are reserved for peaceful purposes. Freedoms of the high seas include navigation, overflight, the laying of submarine cables and pipelines, and fishing, subject to specific conditions.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/UN-Convention-on-the-Law-of-the-Sea.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/UN-Convention-on-the-Law-of-the-Sea.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/UN-Convention-on-the-Law-of-the-Sea.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndunited, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/UN-Convention-on-the-Law-of-the-Sea.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }