Maritime security law is one of the oldest discreet areas of international security law, with a long heritage due to the historic importance of the legal responses to maritime piracy over many centuries.
With the development and codification of the international law of the sea throughout the twentieth century, coastal state maritime security concerns have gained in prominence as new maritime zones have been proclaimed and accepted under the law of the sea and new sovereign rights and jurisdiction asserted over a range of maritime areas.
The entry into force of the United Nations Charter in 1945 has corresponded with increasing maritime security concerns and responses by the UN Security Council, especially when exercising its powers under Chapter VII of the Charter. These concerns have especially been reflected in numerous Security Council Resolutions mandating naval operations, and more generally military operations, to maintain international peace and security. UN-mandated naval operations were significant in the sanctions regime imposed against Iraq (1990-2003) during which time extensive state practice developed in this field, and more recently the sanctions imposed against North Korea have continued this action by the Security Council. The Security Council has also mandated member states to conduct military operations at sea to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism, and piracy. The maritime enforcement responses to piracy off the coast of Somalia have been among the most significant maritime security developments in the past century. Challenges to the normative maritime security law framework, including the myriad of issues that have arisen in the South China Sea dispute, will also be critically examined in this course.
This course will analyse maritime security law through a combination of theory and case studies as a means of understanding the current state of maritime security law and the importance of this distinctive branch of international law.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Critically evaluate research in the area of maritime security law.
- Synthesise and apply maritime security law and policy to address complex problems.
- Critically analyse and reflect upon legal or interdisciplinary information, problems, concepts and theories as they apply in the context of maritime security.
- Plan and execute complex legal research in an area of maritime security law to produce original scholarship.
Indicative Assessment
- The proposed means of assessment for this course will provide students with at least two pieces of assessment, including one piece during the teaching period. More information about the means of assessment, including the relationship between the assessment and the learning outcomes of the course, will be available in the class summary and on the course WATTLE page. (100) [LO 1,2,3,4]
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Workload
- Classes offered in non-standard sessions will be taught on an intensive base with compulsory contact hours (approximately 26 hours of face to face teaching). The course will also require advanced preparation through assigned readings. In total, it is anticipated that the hours required for completion of this course (class preparation, teaching and completion of assessment) will not exceed 120 hours.
- Classes offered during semester periods are expected to have three contact hours per week.
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Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Students must rely on the approved Class Summary which will be posted to the Programs and Courses site approximately two weeks prior to the commencement of the course. Alternatively, this information will be published in the Program course list when known.
Preliminary Reading
Students must rely on the approved Class Summary which will be posted to the Programs and Courses site approximately two weeks prior to the commencement of the course.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 34
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $5280 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $6720 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Autumn Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5420 | 29 Apr 2025 | 30 Apr 2025 | 09 May 2025 | 06 Jun 2025 | In Person | View |