International Maritime Law
Sources of international maritime law include international law, customary law and treaties.
International law is the system of law regulating the relations between sovereign states and their rights and duties with respect to each other. It derives mainly from customary law and treaties.
Customary law derives from practice followed continuously in particular location, or by particular states. Such practice becomes accepted as part of the law in that location or of those states.
A treaty is a written international agreement between two states (a bilateral treaty) or between numbers of states (multilateral treaty), which is binding in international law.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was signed on the 10th of December 1982. The Convention itself establishes a comprehensive framework for the regulation of all ocean space. It is divided into 17 parts and nine annexes. The Convention contains provisions governing the limits of national jurisdiction over ocean space, access to the seas, navigation, protection and preservation of the marine environment, exploitation of living resources and conservation, scientific research, sea-bed mining and other exploitation of non-living resources, and the settlement of disputes. In addition, it establishes new international bodies to carry out functions for the realization of specific objectives.
UNCLOS provides for several zones of coastal state jurisdiction, including internal waters; territorial sea; archipelagic waters; contiguous zone, fisheries limits; continental shelf; and exclusive economic zone, as well as the high seas.
None of the coastal zone is obligatory and coastal states may choose the types of zones they wish to claim and the distances from their coasts that they wish them to extend to, subject to prescribed maximum limits. Jurisdiction of the coastal state within most zones does not include sovereignty; the coastal state has limited right.
Internal waters extend from the shore to the baseline from which the territorial sea I measured and are part of the territory of the state. Territorial sea may extend to 12 nautical miles from the baseline. Contiguous zone can extend 12 nautical miles beyond the territorial sea limit. Continental shelf is defined geologically and may extend well beyond 200 miles from the baseline. Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) can extend to a maximum of 200 nautical miles from the baseline.
High seas are all parts of the sea that are not included in the EEZ, territorial sea or internal waters of a state. High seas are open to all states whether coastal or land-locked. Freedom of the high seas comprises freedom of navigation, over-flight, to lay submarine cables and pipelines; to construct artificial islands and installations permitted under international law; fishing and scientific research.
Lights
Light must, on a given bearing, maintain a consistent character. Lights exhibit a distinctive appearance by which they are recognized. Those properties of their appearance by which they are distinguished are referred to as the character of the light. The principal characteristics are generally the sequence of intervals of light and darkness exhibited and in some cases the sequence of colors of light exhibited. Lights, which are exhibited without interruption or change of characteristics, are called fixed lights.
Normally, all lights other than fixed lights exhibit a sequence of intervals of light and darkness. The whole sequence is repeated identically at regular intervals. Such lights are called rhythmic lights and the time taken to exhibit one complete sequence is called the period of the light. Each element of the sequence (for example, a flash or eclipse) is called a Phase.
All the rhythmic lights may be divided into the following groups: occulting and group occulting lights, isophase lights, flashing and group flashing lights, quick lights, Morse Code lights as well as fixed and flashing ones.
Rhythmic lights which exhibit different colors during each sequence are called alternating lights. The period of an alternating light is the time taken to exhibit the complete sequence, including all changes of color.
There are other types of lights. They are as follows: main and subsidiary lights, sector lights, leading lights, direction lights, vertical lights, private and occasional lights, etc.
Leading lights may be described as two or more lights associated so as to form a leading line to be followed. Direction light is a light showing over a very narrow sector forming a single leading light. This sector may be flanked by sectors of greatly reduced intensity, or by sectors of different colors or character. Occasional lights are exhibited only when specially needed, for instance a tidal light exhibited only when the tide serves, or fishing light for the use of fishermen and shown when required by them.
Oral presentation 5