What are the UNCLOS highlights on protecting the marine environment, and what are the territorial sea, contiguous zone, EEZ, continental shelf and high seas?
Short answer
| Zone | Limit from the baseline | Coastal State’s power | Others’ rights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Territorial sea | 12 nm | sovereignty | innocent passage |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nm | control of customs, fiscal, immigration and sanitary laws | high-seas and EEZ freedoms otherwise |
| EEZ | 200 nm | sovereign rights over resources; jurisdiction over installations, research and the environment | navigation, overflight, cables; flag jurisdiction |
| Continental shelf | margin edge or 200 nm | exclusive sovereign rights over seabed resources | waters above unaffected |
| High seas | beyond the EEZ | none | freedoms; exclusive flag jurisdiction |
- Part XII (192 to 237): the framework: protect and preserve (192); all necessary measures against pollution from any source, for ships covering design, construction, equipment, operation and manning (194); no transferring or transforming pollution (195); alien species (196).
- Rules per source: land (207), seabed (208), the Area (209), dumping only with permission (210), vessels through IMO with flag laws at least as effective (211), atmosphere (212); cooperation, contingency plans, monitoring, prior assessment.
- Enforcement: flag State everywhere (217); port State for a discharge anywhere (218); coastal State graduated in the EEZ (220); safeguards: documents-only inspection, prompt release (226), monetary penalties (230), State liability (232).
- Zones: territorial sea 12 nautical miles, sovereignty with innocent passage; contiguous zone 24, customs, fiscal, immigration and sanitary control; EEZ 200, sovereign rights over resources and jurisdiction over installations, research and the environment.
- Continental shelf and high seas: the shelf to the margin edge or 200 nautical miles, exclusive seabed rights, waters above unaffected; the high seas beyond the EEZ, no sovereignty, freedoms, exclusive flag jurisdiction.
Full answer
The full answer explains each point step by step, with the regulations and figures behind it and the discussion from other candidates. It is in the MEO Class I section of the Marine One forum, open to members enrolled for the MEO Class I exam.