After comparing the legal frameworks related to piracy with those of Europe’s main countries, the French legislator recently released a comprehensive set of rules in order to allow ship-owners to embark protection teams aboard merchant ships in an effort to prevent pirate attacks. As this kind of economic activity implies specific skills and liability linked …More

The idea of launching a peer-reviewed journal on specific issues related to maritime security and safety was developed within the framework of Cost Action IS1105 MARSAFENET. This network, founded in 2012, brings together international scholars and experts working on legal aspects of maritime safety and security. The aim of the Maritime Safety and Security Law …More

Maritime spatial planning (MSP) is a process that enhances comprehensive management of marine space in line with the ecosystem-based approach. Initially introduced as a tool for environmental protection and conservation at the national level, it is nowadays associated with the expansion and intensification of human activities, mainly of an economic nature, in offshore waters and …More

The current legal regime regulating activities in outer space does not provide for rules capable of handling the complex process of developing the mining industry in outer space. This article proposes extending the concept of sustainable development to the domain of outer space. The application of sustainable development to outer space can be better understood …More

Over the past several decades, multilateral discussions concerning the law of the sea have resulted in a growing recognition of the importance of maritime resources and space by many of the world’s nations. The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is a comprehensive treaty that went into effect on 16 November …More

This article analyses the Tokyo High Court’s decision of 18 December 2013 in the M/V Guanabara case, which was Japan’s first case on piracy under the Anti-Piracy Act of 2009. It was an appeal submitted by two Somali pirates, who were seized by US forces and transferred to Japan where they were convicted by the …More

The new Chinese fishing regulations, which were passed by the Hainan province in 2013 and went into effect in 2014, has exemplified the growing assertiveness of China and intensified the heated South China Sea disputes. The South China Sea has been a productive fishing ground and full of aquaculture resources. Nonetheless, in recent years, fishing …More

This article was prompted by the Italian Government’s recent decision to stop embarking vessel protection detachments (VPDs) on board Italian vessels. This decision was related to the well-known Enrica Lexie case, which involved a dispute between Italy and India regarding two Italian marines for the alleged killing of two Indian fishermen in 2012. Since 2010, …More

In recent years, China has created artificial islands (or ‘large constructions’) on several reefs located in the South China Sea, which the adjacent states also claim sovereignty over. Such acts have thus been regarded as a significant move by China to further expand its power and influence in this area and have again raised tensions …More