Territorial Sea

TERRITORIAL WATERS OR A TERRITORIAL SEA AS

DEFINED BY THE 1982 UNITED NATIONS
CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA,[1] IS A
BELT OF COASTAL WATERS EXTENDING AT MOST
12 NAUTICAL MILES (22.2 KM; 13.8 MI) FROM
THE BASELINE (USUALLY THE MEAN LOW-WATER
MARK) OF A COASTAL STATE.
 Rules on Territorial Sea

Canon-shot rule(discarded) 3 nautical mile (nm) limit of the

territorial sea

United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea of 1982

(UNCLOS) - 12 nm territorial sea, 24 nm contiguous zone, and
200 nm exclusive economic zone.
Under Article 2 of the Convention of the Law of the Sea
Article 2
Legal status of the territorial sea, of the air space over the
territorial sea and of its bed and subsoil
1. The sovereignty of a coastal State extends, beyond its land
territory
and internal waters and, in the case of an archipelagic State, its
archipelagic waters, to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the
territorial sea.
2. This sovereignty extends to the air space over the territorial sea as
well as to its bed and subsoil.
3. The sovereignty over the territorial sea is exercised subject to this
Convention and to other rules of international law.
 Sovereignty of the Costal State over its territorial sea
and the airspace above it as well as the seabed under is
the same as its sovereignty over its land territory.

Article 1 of the Geneva Convention specifically

excludes from the six freedoms ( navigation, overflight,
fishing lay submarine, cables and pipelines, construct
artificial islands and structures and of scientific research)
all parts of the sea that are not included in the territorial
sea or in the internal waters of a State.
As the 1982 Convention provides, the sovereignty of the
coastal State extends to its territorial sea as well as to
the air-space over its territorial sea, its bed and subsoil.
In this regard the coastal State enjoys the following:

(1) The exclusive right to fish, and to exploit the

resources of the seabed and subsoil of its territorial sea.

(2) The exclusive right in the air-space over its

territorial sea to the exclusion of other States. Foreign
aircrafts, unlike ships, have no right of innocent fly in the
air-space over the territorial sea of a State.
(3) The right to enact laws and regulations, in conformity with
the 1982 Convention and other rules of International Law,
particularly in respect of navigation, health, customs,
immigration and preservation of the environment.

(4) The right to take the necessary steps in its territorial Sea
to prevent passage which is not innocent.
(5) The exercise of criminal jurisdiction on board of a foreign ship
(arresting any person or conducting any investigation in connection
with any crime committed on board of the foreign ship) in the
following cases: if the consequences of the crime extend to it; if the
crime is of a kind to disturb the peace of the country or the good
order of its territorial sea; if the assistance of the local authorities
has been requested; if the measures are necessary for the
suppression of illicit traffic in narcotic drugs; or after leaving its
internal water.

(6) The exercise of civil jurisdiction in relation to a foreign ship

(levy execution against or arrest the ship for the purpose of any civil
proceedings) in respect of obligations or liabilities assumed or
incurred by the ship itself in the course or for the purpose of its
voyage through its waters, or in respect of any civil proceedings
against a foreign ship after leaving its internal waters.
The Territorial Sea is subject to the Right of Innocent Passage by
the other states.
Article 19
Meaning of innocent passage
1. Passage is innocent so long as it is not prejudicial to the
peace, good
order or security of the coastal State. Such passage shall take
place in
conformity with this Convention and with other rules of
international law.
2. Passage of a foreign ship shall be considered to be prejudicial
to the
peace, good order or security of the coastal State if in the
territorial sea it
engages in any of the following activities:
(a) any threat or use of force against the sovereignty, territorial
integrity or political independence of the coastal State, or in any
other manner in violation of the principles of international law
embodied in the Charter of the United Nations;
(b) any exercise or practice with weapons of any kind;
(c) any act aimed at collecting information to the prejudice of
the
defence or security of the coastal State;
(d) any act of propaganda aimed at affecting the defence or
security
of the coastal State;
(e) the launching, landing or taking on board of any aircraft;
(f) the launching, landing or taking on board of any military
device;
(g) the loading or unloading of any commodity, currency or
person
contrary to the customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws and
regulations of the coastal State;
(h) any act of wilful and serious pollution contrary to this
Convention;
(i) any fishing activities;
(j) the carrying out of research or survey activities;
(k) any act aimed at interfering with any systems of
communication
or any other facilities or installations of the coastal State;
(l) any other activity not having a direct bearing on passage