Drawing Lines in the Sea
By Lieutenant Timothy A. Martin, Royal Australian Navy Reserve
The laws that govern traffic on the world'soceans can be as difficult to shape as water.
Crimes committed at sea often affect more than one country, which increases the complexity of law enforcement and makes pursuit and apprehension of suspects challenging. Whether dealing with weapons or narcotics smuggling, or violent crimes such as piracy against ships, some form of agreement or level of cooperation among maritime states is necessary. Increasingly, however, there is regional consensus on the thorny issue of maritime law enforcement and interdiction of vessels where international waters meet territorial seas, which indicates that a shift in perceptions is occurring about how regional ocean security is managed.
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