The UAE Foreign Ministry confirmed that four commercial cargo ships from several nationalities have been subjected to what they described as subversive operations near UAE territorial waters, without clarifying the nature of the operations or determining the side behind them.

While the UAE authorities did not disclose the location of the incidents of vandalism of ships, they indicated that they were in the economic waters of the state, which raises questions about the concept and nature of the economic and territorial waters of States in accordance with international law.

In addition to the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, the international maritime zones can vary between inland and regional waters, the exclusive zone and the continental shelf. The coastal State can exploit these areas as provided for in international conventions, notably the 1982 Jamaica Treaty, which entered into force In 1994.

Exclusive economic water
The exclusive economic zone extends to 200 nautical miles according to the 1982 Convention, where neighboring states can exercise certain functions but without affecting the legal status of that area, since the exclusive economic zone is not subject to the sovereignty of the coastal State.

The riparian State may establish artificial islands and facilities, as well as benefit from the resources of such waters, provided that it declares its projects to other States and allows them to exercise the right to exploitation in fishing, scientific research and conservation of living resources.

Internal water
The 1982 Law of the Sea states that inland waters are "those parts of the sea that penetrate and interfere with the territory of the State and that, by virtue of their location, are governed by rules other than those already mentioned and have a relationship with the high seas and the territorial sea", including ports, sea basins, bays and inland seas .

Territorial waters
Was resolved by the 1982 Jamaica Convention by clarifying that "each State shall have the right to determine its territorial sea width not to exceed 12 nautical miles from the baselines established in accordance with the provisions of this Convention."

As each State has the right to exercise its sovereignty over its maritime maritime area, starting with policing, determining the maritime protocol to be followed by maritime vessels and regulating navigation and trade within it.

Sovereignty extends to the seabed, where the State can benefit from the exploitation and exploitation of the seabed. The 1982 Convention provided that the sovereignty of the State extended to "the airspace above the territorial sea as well as the seabed and subsoil of that sea".

Innocent traffic
One of the most important provisions of international conventions, particularly the Barcelona Convention of 20 April 1921 and the Geneva Conference on the Sea on 27 April 1958, is the opening of territorial waters to innocent passage, which may mean crossing into or out of a country's ports into international waters. Legal experts have engaged in heated debates about the need to restrict innocent passage on commercial vessels, while warships have the right to impose the conditions they want.

A vessel that benefits from innocent traffic shall respect the safety and security of the sovereign State over its maritime territory and shall not harm its economic interests. The law shall allow States to take the necessary measures to protect their territorial waters.

However, law experts assert that the state has no right to prevent or impede the passage of foreign vessels through its territorial waters unless it harms its interests.

The State has the right to pursue any ship that does not comply with the laws and customs of innocent passage, even outside the territorial waters, but on the condition that there is strong evidence that the vessel committed a legal breach while passing through territorial waters.

Continental shelf
The talk of the continental shelf began in 1945, when US President Truman said that the United States, then a powerful victor of the Second World War, had the right to exploit the natural resources of the seabed and subsoil under the high seas along the coast of the country.

A statement that raised reactions to other countries such as Peru, Chile and Dominican, which rushed to adopt the Declaration itself in their interest, prompting the international institutions concerned to discuss the issue and find a way out.

The Montego Bay meeting in Jamaica took place in 1982 to adopt the Treaty on the Law of the Sea, which entered into force on 16 November 1994 and fully clarifies the law of the sea, including the precise definition of the continental shelf.

Article 76 of the Act states that "the continental shelf of any coastal State shall include the bottom and subsoil of submerged areas extending beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural extension of the territory of that land State to the outer edge of the continental margin or 200 nautical miles from the baselines measured Including the width of the territorial sea if the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend to that distance. "

In the event that the continental margin of the coastal State extends beyond 200 nautical miles, the treaty shall determine the distance of the continental shelf in this case to 350 miles.