This book examines the concept of port state jurisdiction in the context of international maritime law. In particular the book focuses on situations where port states have used their jurisdiction over visiting foreign-flagged vessels to apply unilateral domestic law, as compared with the internationally-agreed standards enforced by regional port state control organisations. To illustrate the legal issues involved three recent pieces of legislation are analysed in detail: the United States' Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act 2010, the EU's liability insurance directive of 2009, and Australia's Fair Work Act 2009. Key issues include the legality of port states’ attempts to regulate aspects of a vessel’s structure or equipment, or even certain activities that may take place before a vessel’s arrival in port. The author argues that examples of unilateral measures being imposed by way of port state jurisdiction are growing, and that without active protests from flag states this concept will continue to expand in scope. As international law currently presents very few restrictions on the actions of ambitious port states, such developments may have a significant impact on the future of international maritime regulation.​

Port State Control, Second Edition is a comprehensive publication dealing with the full implications and regulations of port State control. It provides a detailed analysis of the legal framework relating to port State control, including the most recent developments in this area. It covers not only the regional agreements on port State control and the EU legislation on this subject but also the background of the port State control process, its implications in practice and its effect on the ISM Code and the classification societies. The book covers topics such as: Amendments and changes to the regional port state control systems The addition of an appeal procedure to the Paris MOU Issues related to the ports of refuge and the urgency for authorities to draw up appropriate plans for places of refuge following the recent incidents The ISPS Code for maritime security in the light of newly recognised vulnerability against terrorist attacks Update to Equasis Progress with Qualship regime under US Port State Control system. This book will be an invaluable reference tool for shipping lawyers around the world.

Jurisdiction over Ships: Post-UNCLOS Developments in the Law of the Sea analyses international law developments in shipping since the adoption of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982. The Convention’s rules on the rights and obligations of flag states, coastal states and port states, have by and large been accepted and adhered to by states, but the legal regime for the oceans is neither complete nor static, nor was it intended to be so. New issues have surfaced while old issues have changed their character. Developments in law and practice have already resulted in some divergences between the jurisdictional scheme outlined in UNCLOS and how states in reality exercise their jurisdiction over ships. In this book, 18 leading academics in the field study a number of such developments in more detail, providing a practical guide to the state of the law at present while at the same time offering insights into how international law develops in this field.

This publication provides guidance to port State control officers (PSCOs) on the conduct of inspections of foreign ships, in order to promote consistency in the way inspections are carried out worldwide, and to harmonize the criteria for deciding on deficiencies found on board relating to the ship, its equipment or its crew, as well as the application of procedures.

All of these flag States have the right to sail ships flying their flag on the high seas (LOSC Article 90) ; and those ships enjo y the freedom of navigation upon the high seas (LOSC Article 87) . W ith this freedom comes a concomitant duty upon the flag State to effectively exercise its jurisdiction and control in administrative , technical , social (LOSC Article 94 (1)) and en vironmental protection (LOSC Article 217) matters over ships flying its flag. 1.2 Flag State Responsibility The absence of any authority over ships sailing the high seas would lead to chaos. One of the essential adjuncts to the principle of freedom of the seas is that a ship must fly the flag of a single State and that it is subject to the jurisdiction of that State. (Brown 1994 , p. 287) This opinion of the International Law Commission in 1956 on a draft article of the High Seas Convention (HSC) was a product of its time; a time of traditional maritime States and responsible long-established shipping companies operating for 3 the most part under the effective maritime administrations of their national flag .

Nineteen ninety-two provided several painful reminders of the inherent hazards of oil tankers plying the high seas loaded with millions of gallons of crude oil. Within the space of a few days we witnessed a succession of catastrophic accidents: the foundering of the Greek AEGEAN SEA off the North-West coast of Spain, the breaking-up of the Liberian BRAER off the Shetland Islands, and the burning of the Danish-owned MAERSK NAVIGATOR near the entrance to the Indian Ocean's Malaccan Strait. Any one of these accidents could have been worse than the EXXON VALDEZ spill in Alaska in 1989, when 11 million gallons of crude oil leaked into Prince William Sound. This once again demonstrated the imperative need for an improved regime for the prevention of this kind of accident. The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which had been ratified by 54 states by the end of 1992, consolidates a number of novel provisions, one of which is port state enforcement for violations outside a state's jurisdiction. Port state control, as such, is a very old concept. It is based on the rule of international law, according to which a state exercises full jurisdictional powers within its internal waters and has the right to deny access to such waters. The 1982 Convention expands this jurisdiction and provides the port state with enforcement powers with respect to violations outside its national jurisdiction. Special emphasis is paid to the evolution of the port state enforcement regime; its formulation in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea; advantages and disadvantages and finally the implementation of the enforcement provisions of relevant maritime conventions. This book also analyses flag state jurisdiction and the repercussions of the adoption of the 1986 Convention for Registration of Ships. Special emphasis is given to a regional European agreement, the 1982 Paris Memorandum of Understanding, which attempts to strengthen the implementation of the existing international legal standards that could serve as a model for a future port state regime.

This book provides valuable insights into various contemporary issues in public and private maritime law, including interdisciplinary aspects. The public law topics addressed include public international law and law of the sea, while a variety of private law topics are explored, e.g. commercial maritime law, conflict of laws, and new developments in the application of advanced technologies to maritime law issues. In addition, the book highlights current and topical discussions at international maritime forums such as the International Maritime Organization on regulatory and private law matters within the domain of marine environmental law, the law respecting seafarers’ affairs and maritime pedagogics, maritime security, comparative law in the maritime field, trade law, recent case law analysis, taxation law in the maritime context, maritime arbitration, carriage of passengers, port law, and limitation of liability.

The IOPA-IUU is a voluntary instrument that applies to all States and entities and to all fishers. Following the IPOA's introduction, the nature and scope of IUU fishing is addressed. This is followed by the IPOA's objective and principles and the implementation of measures to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. These measures focus on all State responsibilities, flag State responsibilities, coastal State measures, port State measures, internationally agreed market-related measures, research and regional fisheries management organizations. Special requirements of developing countries are then considered, followed by reporting requirements and the role of FAO.

The guidelines contained in this book are an important international resource for implementing port State responsibilities under the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC). They were adopted by the ILO in September 2008 together with Guidelines for flag State inspections under the MLC, 2006.