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Freedom of the Seas

Freedom of the seas is the rights of vessels from all nations and nationals on the globe to travel using the ocean as their highway. It is a principle in the international law and law of the sea. It gives vessels the right to navigate, explore, and conduct international trade on the oceans. There are no restriction to vessels while on high seas. The high seas are open to all States, whether coastal or land-locked. Freedom of the high seas is exercised under the conditions laid down by this Convention and by other rules of international law. It comprises, inter alia, both for coastal and land-locked States with freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight, freedom to lay submarine cables and pipelines, freedom to construct artificial islands and other installations permitted under international law, freedom of fishing, subject to the conditions, freedom of scientific research. These freedoms shall be exercised by all States with due regard for the interests of other States in their exercise of the freedom of the high seas, and also with due regard for the rights under this Convention with respect to activities in the Area. The ocean has been Maritime’s main key to the development of civilization where people migrate; go on voyager from one continent to the next for warfare, trade and fishery.

Historical background

In 1609, the oldest principle of the sea book Mare Liberum by Dutch Jurist and philosopher Hugo Grotius was published. It is the book first propagating the principle that the seas are international territory, free for all nations to use for seafaring trade. Ships can travel freely with open trade from one nation to another; at the same time have the right to private wars and captures on the ocean. During WWII, nations started to expand and claim many resources and water territories all over their surrounding coasts. There were four international treaties were meticulously drafted in the late 1950s and onto the 70s, but the issues were not resolved between nations until 1982 when the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Law of the Sea was introduced. UNCLOS, a Law of the Seas treaty, an agreement of rights and responsibilities of nations and their use of the world’s ocean with guidelines of trade, environment, and the management of marine and open seas resources. UNCLOS replaced the four international treaties drafted in the late 50’s. As of 2013, there are 165 countries and European Union has joined the Convention.

High Seas and Registration

According to International Law, Article 92 of the convention which describes ships shall sail under the flag of one State only and, save in exceptional cases expressly provided for in international treaties or in this Convention, shall be subject to its exclusive jurisdiction on the high seas; however, when a ship is involved in certain criminal acts, such as piracy, any nation can exercise jurisdiction under the doctrine of universal jurisdiction. High seas were defined as any part of the sea that was not either territorial sea or internal waters, territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. Article 88 of the 1982 Convention states that the high seas shall be reserved for peaceful purpose. Many countries engage in military maneuvers and the testing of conventional weapons and nuclear weapon on the high seas. In order to deliver the rights punishments to the right person, or State, the ships need to be register to a country to show prove of ownership. The owner of the vessel sometime prefers to pay the lower registration fees by picking countries such as Panama, Bermuda, Italy, Malta and the Netherlands. In fact, according to Cruise Lines International Association, 90% of commercial vessels calling on U.S. ports fly foreign flags. To avoid the high cost with more rules and regulations, ships and tankers sometime prefers lower cost registration with a lower standard of inspection and regulation by picking a country that exercise less control over their registered ship. Even though many ships are owned by individuals or companies in another country (most commonly Japan and Greece) under a system called 'flag of convenience'. Registering a ship in Panama means that the ship is governed by the maritime rules of Panama rather than the ship owner's country. Ship owners do this because Panama has low taxes and fewer labor and safety regulations than most other countries. Ship owners can make their staff work longer hours in less safe environments, and therefore maximize their profits. Other countries, including Liberia, Cyprus and the Bahamas also offer flags of convenience, but Panama has the most ships registered under the scheme. Ship register with the US will cost higher, and the employee wages will be even higher. Freedom of the Seas allows ship to move freely on the ocean as long as it follows the international law.

Trade opportunities

From the Vikings to the European, Central Asia, Africa and North/South America, trade served an important role in history, and has been a key factor of a growing economy. Trade is transfer the ownership of goods from one person or entity to another by getting a product or service in exchange from the buyer. When a ship set sail, there will be many ports waiting for it to bring goods from all over the world for trade and sale. Free trade opening up markets to foreign suppliers increases competition. Without free trade, domestic companies may have enjoyed monopolies or oligopolies that enabled them to keep prices well above marginal costs. Trade liberalization will undermine that market power.

The ocean is a big part of the free trade happening around the world. Every day we see silk imported from China, fruits from Mexico, spices from India, chocolate from Africa and many more goods in our home were imported from another country. The ocean made it possible for many countries to put their cargos on to ships and transfer them across the ocean. Hundreds if nations joined the World Trade Organization. With goods to be traded from one nation to another through the transportation on various size vessel from coast to coast, trade promoted more economic value to goods where goods and services are produced to support the supply and demand of the participants in the organization.

Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is also known as the Jones Act. It is a maritime law refers to federal statute 46 USC section 883. This is the act that controls coastwise trade within the United States and determines which ships may lawfully engage in that trade and the rules under which they must operate. The act is in placed to protect jobs for America and its people working at U.S. ports, and on U.S. vessels. Many vessels around the globe sail under many different flags, and have different crews from different part of the world where the pay rate is much lower than the U.S. The Jones Act protects the American’s jobs and restricts coastwise transportation of passengers and 46 USC section 12108 restricts the use of foreign vessel to commercially catch or transport fish in U.S. waters.

See also

• Dominium maris baltici
• Mare Liberum
• Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 similar law concerning passenger transportation between US ports.
• Seaman status in United States admiralty law

Category:International relations Category:Law of the sea Category:Treaty of Versailles http://socserv2.socsci.mcmaster.ca/econ/ugcm/3ll3/grotius/Seas.pdf Category:Presidency of Woodrow Wilson