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Law of the Sea:Navigation & Overflight Rights

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Warships• Definition– belong to armed forces of

a state– military markings– commanded by

commissioned officer– crew under armed forces

discipline

• Sovereign Immunity– immune from boarding, arrest– expected to comply w/ lawful

coastal state requirements

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• Auxiliaries Definition– owned or exclusive

control of armed forces– sovereign immunity

• Military Aircraft Definition– operated by armed

forces– military markings– commanded by

commissioned officer– crew under armed forces

discipline

Auxiliaries & Military Aircraft

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Navigation & Overflight:Internal Waters

• Waters Landward of Baselines

• Entry Permission Required– exceptions for ships–many states grant

standing permission for merchant ships

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• Innocent Passage– Ships: continuous & expeditious travel– passage is innocent unless it involves:

• threat or use of force• exercise or practice with weapons• collection of defense or security information• propaganda • launching, landing, taking on board aircraft• violating customs, fiscal, immigration, sanitary laws

Navigation & Overflight: Territorial Sea

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– passage is innocent unless it involves:• willful and serious pollution

• research or survey activity

• other activity not directly bearing on passage

• Right of All Surface Ships

• unimpeded and unannounced

Navigation & Overflight: Territorial Sea

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Navigation & Overflight: Territorial Sea

• Aircraft Have No Right of Innocent Passage

• Right of Assistance Entry

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Navigation & Overflight: International Straits

Strait Overlapped by Territorial Sea Connecting High Seas or EEZ

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Navigation & Overflight:Transit Passage

• Non-Suspendable & Unimpeded

• Right of All Ships & Aircraft

• Navigation & Overflight Solely for Continuous & Expeditious Transit

• Normal Mode of Operation

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Navigation & Overflight: International Straits

• Strait with High Seas or EEZ Corridor- high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight

within the corridor

- all ships & aircraft

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Navigation & Overflight: International Straits

• Strait Regulated by International Convention

Turkish Straits

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Navigation & Overflight: International Straits

• Strait Between the Mainland & an Island− Non-suspendable

innocent passage for ships Straits of

Messina

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Navigation & Overflight: International Straits

• “Dead End” Straits− Non-suspendable

innocent passage for ships

Bahrain-Saudi Arabia Passage

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Navigation & Overflight:Archipelagic Waters

• Archipelagic Sea Lanes Passage– non-suspendable & unobstructed– right of all ships & aircraft– through all normal routes used for

international navigation & overflight – solely for continuous & expeditious transit– normal mode of operation

17ARCHIPELAGIC BASELINE

ARCHIPELAGIC SEA LANE

Archipelagic Sea Lanes Passage

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Archipelagic Sea Lanes Passage in Archipelagic Sea Lanes Passage in Designated Sea LaneDesignated Sea Lane

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Navigation & Overflight:Archipelagic Waters

• Innocent Passage– outside routes normally

used for international navigation

– right of all ships

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Navigation & Overflight:International Waters

• Contiguous Zones, Exclusive Economic Zones, High Seas– all ships and aircraft– high seas navigation and overflight

freedoms and other internationally lawful uses of the sea

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Navigation & Overflight:High Seas Freedoms

• Examples:– surveillance

– Intelligence collection

– flight operations

– maneuvering

– exercises

– weapons tests

– hydrographic and military surveys

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Navigation & Overflight:International Waters

US EP-3 Electronic Surveillance Aircraft

PRC F-8 Fighter Jet

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Navigation & Overflight:International Waters

• Due Regard Standard

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Navigation & Overflight:Nuclear Free Zones

• Treaty Established on Regional Basis– treaty parties obligated not to acquire or permit

stationing of nuclear weapons on territory or within territorial sea

• Protocols Open to Declared Nuclear Weapon States– protocol parties obligated not to use or threaten to

use nuclear weapons or station them within territory or territorial seas of parties in the zone

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Navigation & Overflight:Nuclear Free Zones

• Latin America (1969)

• South Pacific (1986)

• Africa

• Southeast Asia (1997)

• Freedom of Navigation Unaffected in Latin, South Pacific & Africa NFZs

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Navigation & Overflight:Exercise & Assertion of Rights

• Maintaining Customary International Law of the Sea– preserving persistent

objector status• U.S. Freedom of Navigation

Program– impartially rejects

excessive maritime claims– Conducted in low-key,

non-threatening manner

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Navigation & Overflight:Safety Rules

• Ships within International Waters– 72 COLREGS

• Ships within National Waters– 72 COLREGS or national rules within

territorial sea

• Aircraft within International Airspace

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Overflight in Outer Space

• Freedom of Transit− overflight of land territory, national and international waters

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