Understanding International Waters: Boundaries, Jurisdiction And Legal Implications

Because oceans cover up to 71% of Earth's surface, it's essential to define maritime boundaries based on international law to avoid conflicts over maritime territories. Here’s how international law determines these boundaries for each state.

Maritime Zones Defined by International Law

Modern international maritime boundaries comprise several distinct zones that are Internal Waters, Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, EEZ, Continental Shelf, High Seas, and the Area. These zones basically help to clarify the rights and responsibilities of the coastal state.

In accordance with the Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982-UNCLOS, these limits are measured from the baseline, which refers to the low-water line along the coast. Even the baselines themselves can either be normal or straight, depending on specific coasts.

Internal Waters: These are waters landward of the baseline, and the coastal state enjoys full sovereignty over them, in the same way it does over land territory. Entries are subject to previous permission from foreign vessels.

Territorial Sea: Extending up to 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the baseline, the territorial sea allows full sovereignty of the coastal state over the waters and airspace, as well as over the seabed and subsoil. Foreign ships have the right of innocent passage, though this can be regulated by the coastal state based on the Law of the Sea Convention and other international laws.

Contiguous Zone: This extends up to 24 nautical miles (44 km) from the baseline. Here, the coastal state can enforce laws related to customs, taxation, immigration, and health. The state has partial control, aimed at preventing and punishing infringements of its laws within the territory.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): The EEZ reaches up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the baseline, in which the coastal state enjoys an exclusive right over exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It grants the state the right to manage and conserve the living and non-living resources within this area, in addition to allowing the construction and usage of artificial installations.

Continental Shelf: This refers to the ocean floor from a country's coastline, out to 350 nautical miles (650 km), contingent upon geological features. The coastal states have exclusive rights over the exploitation of resources on the shelf, such as minerals and other specific biological resources under the sea floor.

High Seas: The portions of the ocean which are outside any EEZ are regarded as the high seas. These waters are open to all states for freedom of navigation, fishing, laying of submarine cables and pipelines, and overflight by aircraft.

The Area: Beyond the high seas, the seabed, which is called the Area, includes resources that are considered the "common heritage of mankind." This terminology means that they belong to no State, and no State may claim sovereignty over this part of the seabed.

By these demarcated zones, international law seeks to encourage peaceful, sustainable, and fair utilization of the world's seas.

by Paros tit