Publisher's Synopsis
This is a contribution to the debate about the Law of the Sea, published to coincide with the signing of a new Convention. Despite comprehensive international rules on navigation contained in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, the right of innocent passage for all ships is still controversial in many respects - particularly the definition of non-innocent passsage, the recognition of the possibility of declarations, the innocent passage of warships or other "special" sea vessels.;The author believes that, within the letter of the 1982 Convention, coastal states can still decide alone whether or not passage is innocent and take appropriate measures. Controversy and conflict will continue to arise and the dispute settlement machinery of the UNCLOS, even when in force, may well be disputed in application to innocent passage conflicts.
