Building BlueRights: Advancing Human Rights at SeaSecuring the COST Action BlueRights

September 15, 2026

Original title: Coastal State Jurisdiction in the Territorial Sea and the Protection of People on Board Foreign-Flagged Vessels

How far can coastal States go to protect people on board foreign-flagged vessels?

In this EJIL: Talk! post, Professor Anna Petrig examines whether serious human rights violations on board a vessel can affect the innocence of passage under UNCLOS, and whether international human rights law or transnational criminal law may turn coastal State powers into duties to act. The post explores legal uncertainty around jurisdiction, non-innocent passage, accountability, and the protection of people at sea.

Date of Publication:
10 December 2024

Publisher:
EJIL: Talk!

Link:
EJIL: Talk! article

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