piracy

The significance of the ocean in terms of its economic potential is well established, however, it is plagued with many threats and challenges which call for a proper examination of its management and governance. This paper examines the legal and institutional frameworks at the global, regional, sub-regional, and national levels for governance of the oceans …More

Literature on piracy in Nigeria abound. However, limited insights have been suggested on how to effectively enforce antipiracy legislation through an enhanced institutional regime, from a comparative perspective. This study interrogates the significance of well-equipped and well-trained maritime regulatory and security institutions in enforcing antipiracy instruments in Nigeria. Thus, the study comparatively analyses Nigeria and …More

According to media coverage, a ‘pirate attack’ took place off the coast of Suriname in April 2018. This submission assesses whether the violent incident meets the definition of piracy under international law, reviews different (legal) definitions, and highlights the importance of the location of the attack. It is argued that the use of the term …More

The quest for international legal instruments capable of regulating private maritime security companies (PMSCs) efficiently has been previously explored in-depth, but few scholars or practitioners have anticipated the rise of a new kind of regulation instrument coming from outside the traditional circles of regulators composed of states, international organizations and the maritime industry. Traditional international …More

Piracy for ransom remains a significant maritime security threat adversely affecting the interests of the shipping industry, maritime trade and the welfare of seafarers. The profits made by pirates through ransoms have led to several states, including the United Kingdom, to argue in favour of an absolute ban on ransom payments to pirates. These proposals …More

Many scholars argue that a major obstacle to eradicating the global problem of maritime piracy is the lack of a uniform definition of piracy. Their chief concern is that without a uniform definition, it is difficult to formulate responses on a systemic and global level. This article contends that having multiple definitions of piracy for …More

The present article analyses the Arctic Sunrise arbitration, which concerns the lawfulness of the boarding and seizure of the Dutch-flagged vessel, Arctic Sunrise, during a protest against the oil rig Prirazlomnaya in the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation. Even though the Arctic Sunrise vessel was three nautical miles from the rig, the Greenpeace …More

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