While much has been written on the navigation rights and freedoms set forth in the Law of the Sea Convention, this book takes a fundamentally different approach - by looking at international shipping from the perspective of coastal states and their desire to protect their resources and marine environment from damage by international shipping. As the potential risk of damage by shipping increases because of the increases in the volume and composition of ships and the varying array of cargo carried, coastal states' interest in protecting their resources and environment will only become more acute and they will seek to act. This work addresses the four major jurisdictional areas of most interest to coastal states: · the port · the territorial sea · the contiguous zone · the exclusive economic zone Three specific examples are used to illustrate the points raised in the discussion: ship strikes of the North Atlantic right whale, the unwanted transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens through discharges of ships ballast water, and wastewater discharges from cruise ships. The conflict between a coastal state's interest in regulating navigation off its coast and ship owners' interest in limiting such regulation is an old yet ongoing one. Coastal states have an obvious interest in participating in global trade and thus in shipping; however, this interest does not necessarily supersede their desire to regulate shipping in order to protect their resources and the marine environment. This book explores the significant changes that have taken place over the last two decades in the shipping industry and coastal states' interests. It reviews the provisions of the 1982 U.N. Law of the Sea Convention with regard to the actions a coastal state may take to regulate international shipping, while remaining within the boundaries of the Law of the Sea Convention and customary international law. This volume provides coastal states with guidance in protecting their interests and yet recognizes the rights and duties accorded to navigation interests by the treaty.

The combination of the Port State Control system that is currently in operation and the tactics employed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the introduction of rules and regulations for safety and pollution prevention at sea, led to the establishment of a system which has the potential to bring about significant changes. These changes extend beyond the area of safety and pollution prevention, reaching areas lying entirely beyond the scope of IMO, and actually affecting directly private maritime law. The relevant provisions of the law of the sea are outlined, in order to define the legal framework within which the regulation process for matters of safety and pollution prevention may operate. Special reference is made to the development of the concept of Port State Control and its emergence as a new, alternative method of enforcement under the guidance of IMO. The study focuses on the modus operandi of IMO and critically evaluates the tactics employed by the organization in pursuing its ends. The book also examines the practices employed by influential port states in enforcing international regulations, and it assesses the reactions of smaller states with large registries, as well as the different sectors of the industry to these developments. These developments will lead to new legislation in the contracting states, with the potential of changing the principles of private maritime law. The author also draws attention to the impact that the ISM Code and the STCW '95 may have on issues of private maritime law, through an analysis of the use of English maritime case law. The book is intended for all involved in shipping law - carriers, shipowners, ship managers, marine insurers, port managers, and others.

The combination of the Port State Control system that is currently in operation and the tactics employed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the introduction of rules and regulations for safety and pollution prevention at sea, led to the establishment of a system which has the potential to bring about significant changes. These changes extend beyond the area of safety and pollution prevention, reaching areas lying entirely beyond the scope of IMO, and actually affecting directly private maritime law. The relevant provisions of the law of the sea are outlined, in order to define the legal framework within which the regulation process for matters of safety and pollution prevention may operate. Special reference is made to the development of the concept of Port State Control and its emergence as a new, alternative method of enforcement under the guidance of IMO. The study focuses on the modus operandi of IMO and critically evaluates the tactics employed by the organization in pursuing its ends. The book also examines the practices employed by influential port states in enforcing international regulations, and it assesses the reactions of smaller states with large registries, as well as the different sectors of the industry to these developments. These developments will lead to new legislation in the contracting states, with the potential of changing the principles of private maritime law. The author also draws attention to the impact that the ISM Code and the STCW '95 may have on issues of private maritime law, through an analysis of the use of English maritime case law. The book is intended for all involved in shipping law - carriers, shipowners, ship managers, marine insurers, port managers, and others.

This book examines the concept of port state jurisdiction in the context of international maritime law. In particular the book focuses on situations where port states have used their jurisdiction over visiting foreign-flagged vessels to apply unilateral domestic law, as compared with the internationally-agreed standards enforced by regional port state control organisations. To illustrate the legal issues involved three recent pieces of legislation are analysed in detail: the United States' Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act 2010, the EU's liability insurance directive of 2009, and Australia's Fair Work Act 2009. Key issues include the legality of port states’ attempts to regulate aspects of a vessel’s structure or equipment, or even certain activities that may take place before a vessel’s arrival in port. The author argues that examples of unilateral measures being imposed by way of port state jurisdiction are growing, and that without active protests from flag states this concept will continue to expand in scope. As international law currently presents very few restrictions on the actions of ambitious port states, such developments may have a significant impact on the future of international maritime regulation.​

The book provides an introduction to shipping in all its aspects. It is a valuable source of information for students of traditional maritime law as well as for those who seek to understand maritime and shipping services on a global scale. The text includes information and analytical content on national and international practices in shipping, including the age-old dichotomy between freedom in international shipping and the persistent demands of states to control specific maritime areas, as well as the tension between, on the one hand, the desire on the part of sovereign states to regulate and protect their shipping interests and, on the other, the abiding concern and unquestioned right of the international community to regulate the global shipping industry effectively, in order to ensure maritime safety, protection of the environment and fair competition.

In this work, the contributors examine the public law and policy framework for shipping and maritime trade, the complex relationship between shipping and the marine environment.

The general international law regarding foreign merchant ships in internal waters has never been codified. The question of the breadth of the territorial sea was finally solved during the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. But conflicts between coastal States and foreign merchant ships in internal waters and the territorial sea may arise. This comprehensive study analyses these issues and strives for reasonable and generally acceptable solutions.