PORT STATE JURISDICTION AND THE REGULATION OF INTERNATIONAL MERCHANT SHIPPING

The publication contains the results of thorough examination of the port state jurisdiction concept from the international maritime law point of view. The author of the volume have particularly focused on the situations where the port states used their jurisdiction to apply the unilateral domestic law to the foreign-flagged ships.

In order to illustrate these situations together with the legal issues involved, the author has performed the detailed analysis of three pieces of legislation, one being from United States, another from European Union and the last one from Australia. The key issues included the legality of the attempts done by the port states to regulate the important aspects of the ship's structure/equipment on board and some of the activities normally taking place prior to a ship's arrival in port.

Since the international law of today presents not too many restrictions on the port state actions, the developments in the field might have quite serious impact on the future of the maritime legislation in the international context. A recommended reading for the people with the interest in the international maritime regulation and practicing maritime lawyers, in the first turn.