United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is a treaty defining maritime zones, states’ rights and duties at sea, and procedures for resolving ocean disputes.

Territorial waters: The sea belt adjacent to a coast where a state exercises sovereignty, subject to international law. The convention sets the territorial sea’s breadth at up to 12 nautical miles.
Freedom of navigation: The principle that ships may navigate lawfully through waters where no state has exclusive control. The convention protects navigation freedoms while recognizing coastal jurisdiction.
First United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea: The 1958 conference that produced four conventions codifying major parts of the law of the sea. Its partial settlement left important questions that the later convention addressed.
International Seabed Authority mining code: The rules and procedures governing mineral exploration and potential exploitation in the international seabed area. It develops operational rules under the convention’s seabed regime.
Exclusive economic zone: A sea zone extending up to 200 nautical miles from a coast, where a state has specified resource rights. The convention defines this zone’s resource rights and limits.
Innocent passage: A right allowing foreign ships to pass through a coastal state’s territorial sea without harming its peace or security. It balances coastal sovereignty with continued passage through territorial seas.
Second United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea: The 1960 conference convened to resolve disagreements over territorial sea breadth and fishing limits. It failed to settle those disputes, helping prompt a broader negotiating process.
Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf: A scientific and technical body that reviews coastal states’ submissions on continental shelf limits beyond 200 nautical miles. The convention created it to assess evidence supporting extended shelf claims.
Continental shelf: The seabed and subsoil extending from a coastal state’s land territory under legal and geological criteria. The convention governs coastal rights to seabed resources beyond territorial waters.
Transit passage: A right of ships and aircraft to pass continuously and expeditiously through international straits used for navigation. The convention applies this regime to straits linking parts of the high seas or exclusive economic zones.

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