Maritime Law and International Conventions
Maritime law questions test the framework of UNCLOS, SOLAS, MARPOL, MLC, STCW and the liability regimes. You need the zones, the certificate structure and the discharge or liability rules that affect daily decisions.
UNCLOS maritime zones
UNCLOS measures zones from the baseline. The territorial sea extends 12 nautical miles; the contiguous zone extends 24 nm; the exclusive economic zone extends 200 nm; the continental shelf may extend to 350 nm. Innocent passage applies in the territorial sea. The flag state has primary jurisdiction over its ships, with port and coastal state powers in defined circumstances.
Key conventions
SOLAS covers safety of life at sea, certificates, ISM and ISPS. MARPOL has six annexes: I oil, II noxious liquid substances, III harmful substances in packaged form, IV sewage, V garbage and VI air pollution. MLC 2006 sets seafarers' working and living conditions. STCW sets training and watchkeeping standards. The Load Line Convention sets freeboard and seasonal zones. Hague-Visby limits carrier liability to 666.67 SDR per package or 2 SDR per kilogram, whichever is higher.
Salvage and general average
Salvage is voluntary assistance to a ship in danger; "no cure, no pay" is the traditional principle, with Lloyd's Open Form and SCOPIC for environmental protection. General average is a voluntary sacrifice for the common safety, adjusted under the York-Antwerp Rules; jettison and salvage remuneration can be general average acts.
Worked example: MARPOL Annex I discharge
A 5,000 GT ship outside a special area wishes to discharge treated bilge water. What conditions apply?
Under MARPOL Annex I, discharge from machinery space bilges outside a special area is allowed only if the ship is proceeding en route, the oil content does not exceed 15 ppm, the discharge passes through approved oily water separating equipment with a 15 ppm alarm and automatic stopping device, and the operation is recorded in the Oil Record Book Part I. If any condition fails, retain the mixture on board.
Traps
- Confusing 12 nm territorial sea with 24 nm contiguous zone and 200 nm EEZ.
- Mixing up MARPOL annex numbers.
- Treating general average and salvage as the same thing.
- Forgetting that Hague-Visby limits are per package or per kilogram.
- Assuming a certificate remains valid after a major modification without survey.
- Ignoring special-area restrictions.