(Redirected from International waterway)
The terms 'international waters' or 'trans-boundary waters' apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries:
oceans, large
marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional
seas and
estuaries,
rivers,
lakes,
groundwater systems (
aquifers), and
wetlands [1].
Oceans and seas, waters outside of national jurisdiction are also referred to as the 'High Seas' or 'Mare liberum'.
Ships sailing the high seas are generally under flag state jurisdiction. In the cases of
piracy or
slave trade, any nation can exercise jurisdiction.
International waterways
Several international treaties have established
freedom of navigation on semi-enclosed seas.
★ The
Copenhagen Convention of 1857 opened access to the
Baltic by abolishing the
Sound Dues and making the
Danish Straits an international waterway free to all military and commercial shipping.
★ Several conventions have opened the
Bosporus and
Dardanelles to shipping. The latest, the
Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits maintains the straits' status as an international waterway.
Links and References
International Waters Agreements
Global Agreements
★
International Freshwater Treaties Database (freshwater only).
★ The
Yearbook of International Cooperation on Environment and Development profiles agreements regarding the
Marine Environment,
Marine Living Resources and
Freshwater Resources.
★ 1972
London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (
[2])
★ 1973
London