Part 1

• What does jurisdiction mean within a maritime context? Focus the discussion of jurisdiction of US vessels on the high seas relative to the terms mentioned in the Law of the Seas Treaty: the right of visit, hot pursuit, constructive presence, and consent of the flag state.
• In what maritime zones and under what circumstances could a United States (US) vessel be legally boarded by a foreign warship? Be sure to address each all of these jurisdictional zones:
  • Internal waters
  • Territorial Sea
  • Contiguous Zone
  • Exclusive Economic Zone
  • High Seas
• answers by giving a detailed analysis of a specific example (e.g., the boarding of a US military vessel by a foreign power in the Strait of Hormuz).
  • Either way, please provide plenty of details so that a rich discussion in Part 2 can develop.

Part 2

• If, within the context of the example that was provided in Part 1, assigned to that ship's on board legal office when its captain was notified by a foreign state of its intent to board, what legal issues and questions would you want to know?
  • Why?
  • How might the use of different languages complicate the interchange between the captain and the foreign official who announced the intent to board?
  • Upon what legal or non-legal academic theories, laws, or methods does your approach to finding answers to your questions rely?
  • From what other sections of that ship's staff (e.g., navigation, operations, security, etc.) would you want to gather information to help resolve the legal issues that you have identified? Why?
  • How does researching in multiple relevant fields help to develop a broader understanding?
• Based on what was learned about maritime law and some of other allied fields that affect it, what is the best approach for resolving similar issues in the future?
• Through participating in this discussion, what have was learned how to approach these kinds of issues?
  • Would the process differ if your ship was a merchant marine vessel rather than one belonging to the US Navy? If so, how and why?