International Law And The Protection Of People At Sea

From the actions of Somali pirates to the fate of asylum seekers in the Mediterranean, the rights of those at sea is of vital importance. The first book to comprehensively analyse the legal status of seafarers and sea-travellers, Papanicolopulu's timely text provides a compelling argument for the responsibility of the state to protect those at sea.

Media interest in the fates of people at sea has heightened across the last decade. The attacks and the hostage taking of victims by Somali pirates, and the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers in the Mediterranean, ask pressing questions, as does the sinking of the Costa Concordia off the Italian island of Giglio which, one hundred years after the Titanic capsized, reminded the world that, despite modern navigation systems and technology, shipping is still fallible. Do pirates have human rights? Can migrants at sea be turned back to the State from which they have sailed? How can the crews of vessels be protected against inhuman and degrading working and living conditions? And are States liable under international human rights treaties for arresting drug traffickers on the high seas? The first text to comprehensively compare the legal rights of different people at sea, Irini Papanicolopulu's timely text argues that there is an overarching duty of the state to protect people at sea and adopt all necessary acts with a view towards ensuring enjoyment of their rights. Rather than being in doubt, she reveals that the emerging law in this area is watertight.

From the actions of Somali pirates to the fate of asylum seekers in the Mediterranean, the rights of those at sea is of vital importance. The first book to comprehensively analyse the legal status of seafarers and sea-travellers, Papanicolopulu's timely text provides a compelling argument for the responsibility of the state to protect those at sea.

This study examines the shipmaster’s duty to render assistance at sea under international law. This duty is assessed in the light of contemporary challenges posed by the phenomenon of irregular migration by sea, a problem which has intensified in recent years. The approach undertaken gives special emphasis to the shipmaster’s responsibilities in rescue operations, and his role in the fulfilment of States’ international obligations in the rendering of assistance.

The situation of refugees is one of the most pressing and urgent problems facing the international community and refugee law has grown in recent years to a subject of global importance. In this long-awaited third edition each chapter has been thoroughly revised and updated and every issue, old and new, has received fresh analysis.

This book integrates legal, historical, and philosophical materials to illuminate the migration topic and to provide a novel theory of human rights.

Faced with the migration crisis which has turned the sea into a graveyard for sea migrants, this book addresses the issue by examining the international legal framework which enjoins States and other actors at sea to come to the rescue of migrants in distress at sea. The book seeks to provide a legal argument which obliges the international community to protect even illegal migrants who willingly and intentionally endanger their lives at sea, while ensuring that these rights and obligations are not abused. Multifarious branches of International Law defend this position.

This textbook on the law of the sea sets the subject in the context of public international law. It comprehensively covers the principal topics of the course, from the legal regimes governing the different jurisdictional zones, to international co-operation for protection of the marine environment and marine living resources.