ABSTRACT
The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is the culmination of years of evolution in maritime regulations. It can be regarded as the ‘constitution’ for the peaceful use of the seas and oceans, aimed to reduce conflict and to maintain peace at sea. UNCLOS enjoys almost universal acceptance and is one of modern public international law’s greatest achievements. In terms of its significance, the declaration and the guarantees for the peaceful use of the sea in UNCLOS are as important as the abolishment of war as an instrument of policy and the pronouncement of the maintenance of peace as the main purpose in Article 1 of the UN Charter. Composed of a total of 320 articles and nine annexes, covering every matter related to the marine sphere, UNCLOS declares in its preamble that the State Parties recognize the Convention ‘as an important contribution to the maintenance of peace, justice and progress for all peoples of the world’. 1 UNCLOS therefore has become a comprehensive global legal order for the maritime sphere, promoting the peaceful use of the seas and oceans among other things, balancing the maritime rights and obligations of states, and creating legally binding arrangements according to international law.
