Since ancient times, the world’s oceans have been a source of various human activities, all of which are aimed solely at benefiting humanity.
International Maritime Law
Every human activity in the world’s oceans is international in nature, because the world’s oceans do not belong to a single state, just as the operation of seagoing vessels cannot be carried out by a single country. The desire of countries to spontaneously, and individually, regulate relations in the field of exploiting the world’s oceans does not yield positive results. Sooner or later, people realise that the ‘treasures’ of the World Ocean are the heritage of all humanity, and that issues relating to the waters of the World Ocean must be resolved by the entire international community.
The law of the sea is the framework for the international legal regulation of collective relations arising from the exploitation of the world’s oceans and the seabed.
Ukraine’s maritime law is part of international maritime law and is not regarded as separate from it.
Due to the specific nature of maritime activities, a key component of the legal norms of international maritime law is absent in other areas of international legal regulation. Such legal norms include:
- the right of peaceful passage of seagoing vessels through the territorial waters of foreign states;
- the right of free and unimpeded transit passage of vessels;
- the right to freedom of navigation for all vessels of all countries on the high seas.
These and other legal norms have a very strong influence on the structure of legal principles governing territorial waters, international straits and the exclusive economic zones of various states.
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
It should be noted that in 1982, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Law of the Sea. Provisions were established stipulating that maritime zones beyond territorial waters would be reserved for peaceful purposes, along with a number of other equally important agreements.
The Convention on the Law of the Sea is the most authoritative instrument of international law. It comprises three hundred and twenty articles and nine annexes. This powerful document encompasses the legal regime governing all the world’s oceans and seas. It is designed to regulate all areas of activity in the ocean: shipping, fishing, maritime transport, overflight of maritime zones, mineral extraction, marine and ocean ecology, and the preservation of the marine heritage for humanity as a whole.
The Convention has been signed by more than 140 countries, with an even greater number of states in the process of acceding to this universally recognised document.
Legal services in maritime law
Today, maritime law is a highly complex framework of treaties between countries, sometimes involving dozens of signatory states.
The lawyers at Svarog, with their vast experience, provide legal services of any complexity in the field of maritime law:
- representing the client’s interests in the event of damage or loss of cargo;
- preparing a full set of documents for the state registration of seagoing vessels;
- preparation of documents for marine cargo insurance;
- legal support for all types of maritime transport, preparation of documentation for foreign economic activity and vessel leasing;
- legal support for marine cargo clearance through customs.