maritime law

The   United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea   (UNCLOS), also called the   Law of the Sea Convention   or the   Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took place between 1973 and 1982. The Law of the Sea Convention defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with respect to their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine   natural resources . The Convention, concluded in 1982, replaced four 1958   treaties . UNCLOS came into force in 1994, a year after   Guyana   became the 60th nation to ratify the treaty. As of June 2016, 167 countries and the   European Union   have joined in the Convention. It is uncertain as to what extent the Convention codifies   customary international law . While the   Secretary General of the U...

Admiralty law or maritime law is a distinct body of  law  that governs maritime questions and offenses. It is a body of both domestic law governing maritime activities, and  private international law  governing the relationships between private entities that operate vessels on the oceans. It deals with matters including marine commerce,  marine navigation ,  marine salvaging ,  shipping ,  sailors , and the transportation of passengers and goods by sea. Admiralty law also covers many commercial activities, although land based or occurring wholly on land, that are maritime in character. Admiralty law is distinguished from the  Law of the Sea , which is a body of  public international law  dealing with navigational rights,  mineral rights , jurisdiction over coastal waters and international law governing relationships between nations. Although each legal jurisdiction usually has its own enacted legislation go...