Law of the Sea | Short History | From Arbitrary and Colonialism to International Law and Legal Order

The law of the sea is a body of customs, treaties, and international agreements by which governments maintain order, productivity, and peaceful relations on the sea.

Enormous international effort was needed to codify these into a generally accepted legal instrument. This was achieved by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Adopted in 1984 and put into force in 1994, it was described by the United Nations Secretary-General as “possibly the most significant legal instrument of this century”. It was ratified by 167 countries and the European Union.

This is its story concentrating on the most important moments that shaped the evolution of international law:

- disputes between early maritime powers, Spain and Portugal, settled by Pope Alexander VI and the Treaty of Torsedillas
- the work of Hugo Grotius, Mare Liberum – The Free Sea, which set the basis for legal though, controversy and development
- the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

Expert: Prof. Dr. Andree Kirchner | Director Institute for the Law of the Sea and International Marine Environmental Law (ISRIM) Bremen

More info

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (A historical perspective):
https://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_historical_perspective.htm#Historical%20Perspective

Chronological lists of ratifications of, accessions and successions to the Convention and the related Agreements:
https://www.un.org/Depts/los/reference_files/chronological_lists_of_ratifications.htm

Produced in the context of the German Science Year 2016*17 - Seas and Oceans of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF). Further information may be found at: www.isrim.de/scienceyear.

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