With the increasing sophistication of transnational criminal organization, coupled with globalization and its heavy dependence on maritime transport, the suppression of criminality at sea has again become a priority on the international community’s agenda. The theme at the heart of this volume is therefore Crimes at Sea — an issue of both great practical importance and academic interest. This work is the fruit of the 2012 session of the Hague Academy Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations — collectively, the fourteen chapters in this volume underscore the common challenges in international co-operation at the legal level with respect to crimes at sea and identify a number of the potential strengths and shortcomings of the applicable international law. There is a wide breadth of subject matters addressed in this volume, some focusing on particular crimes at sea, others on the general international legal framework within which responses to criminality at sea operate. Throughout the volume, there is a common theme of regime interaction — exploring the limits and efficiencies resulting from the overlapping applicability of human rights law, international criminal law, the law of State responsibility and the UN Charter regime. The contributions both illustrate and clarify the significant links between these legal regimes which support the fight against crimes at sea.

Originally published as Colloques / Workshops – Law Books of the Academy, Volume 35.