ABSTRACT
The Law of the Sea evolved slowly over centuries, concepts of the freedom of the high seas and of the territorial sea emerging as shipping technologies improved. Engines allowed matters such as fishing to become important for coastal states and that and the continental shelf raised questions of sovereign control. In the 1950s, separate conventions on the High Seas, on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone, on the Continental Shelf and on Fishing and Conservation demonstrated a divergence of state interests. UNCLOS, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 as amended in 1994, brings these matters into a single instrument to cope with the varied interests that exploit current marine technologies. In addition, through rules administered by an International Seabed Authority, it attempts to cover the management of the deep-sea bed beyond national territories.
