'No laws in international waters'

Macers

Is this really true?

Like if I was to kill someone on my own boat I can't technically be tried?

I heard if something happend on a plane or boat you're dealt with the laws the plane/boat is registered in...?

* rubs chin* I'm getting ideas here...

Tha Gopher

No idea. However Id love to see a murder trial where the bulk of the defence is made up of the defendant quoting a short convo between Homer Simpson, Burns and Smithers while flying between the US and Cuba.

dermot_sheehan

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055263421

Thrill

http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question52490.html

It depends on several principles, which sometimes overlap and cause confusion (with the result for example that fist fights on cruise ships are a nightmare for the authorities).

The first principle is that the country in which the relevant ship/aircraft is registered has jurisdiction. If that country can't or won't take action though, then international law recognises the right of the country of a person involved (the victim generally) to take jusrisdiction. However, there are some crimes where any country can accept jurisdiction to prosecute: piracy, slave trading or narcotics smuggling for example are subject to specific international laws.

You may also find, especially if you're a passenger on a ship, that your ticket requires you to accept that the laws of a particular country will apply in the event of any crime or incident during the voyage and an agrement like that (in the small print on the back of the booking) is generally binding.

wiki.answers

The responsibility for the act lies with the country of registration of the vessel. Therefore, if you committed a crime on a British registered vessel, then the British Government would have the option of prosecuting you.

Problems can occur when crimes are committed on ships with flags of convenience, as described in this link............

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/consumers/cruise-crime.html






.

Tha Gopher

Where do international waters begin and end?


Imagine the business a Dutch registered mega ship would do docked 12 miles off Dublin with the day tripper crowd. Everyone coming back with glazed eyes and an empty sack.

rainbowtrout

Tha Gopher wrote: »

Where do international waters begin and end?


Imagine the business a Dutch registered mega ship would do docked 12 miles off Dublin with the day tripper crowd. Everyone coming back with glazed eyes and an empty sack.

I'm surprised it hasn't already happened, they already have a ship equipped to administer abortions.

http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/06/15/ireland.ship02/index.html

kowloon

British law allows for prosecution for a crime committed outside their territory, including international waters.

RandolphEsq

I don't understand how any country can have jurisdiction when it involves certain activities. What sort of international law says this? What higher power are we subscribing to?

d0gb0y

Set up your own kingdom :cool:
http://www.sealandgov.org/

Spitfire666

dont know about ships but with planes, its the country that the plane lands in that has jurisdiction. if a plane going from france to england for example, has to divert to ireland because of an air rage incident, the person would be tried in ireland then deported to the country where the plane took off from. which would be france.
And the guilty person can find themselves in a situation where they will never be allowed to fly again.

Overheal

Spitfire666 wrote: »

dont know about ships but with planes, its the country that the plane lands in that has jurisdiction. if a plane going from france to england for example, has to divert to ireland because of an air rage incident, the person would be tried in ireland then deported to the country where the plane took off from. which would be france.
And the guilty person can find themselves in a situation where they will never be allowed to fly again.

might be the other way around. On a flight from Ireland I was served alcohol no hassle. On the way back I was told it was 21+ only.

monkeyfudge

Better hold off on the monkey knife fights then...

Cool_CM

d0gb0y wrote: »

Set up your own kingdom :cool:
http://www.sealandgov.org/

Haha, the history bit is class!

Victor

Macers wrote: »

Is this really true? Like if I was to kill someone on my own boat I can't technically be tried? I heard if something happend on a plane or boat you're dealt with the laws the plane/boat is registered in...? * rubs chin* I'm getting ideas here...

This is all well and good until the country where Macers boat is registered tries him for murder.

But wait, what if Macers boat isn't registered in any country? Macers gets away scot free? Well no, vessels that aren't registered in any country get done for piracy aswell.

MrJoeSoap

Ask Rio Mavuba.

RoyalMarine

drug lord's live on yacht's in international water's and cannot be tried for their crimes.

antodeco

Victor wrote: »

This is all well and good until the country where Macers boat is registered tries him for murder.

But wait, what if Macers boat isn't registered in any country? Macers gets away scot free? Well no, vessels that aren't registered in any country get done for piracy aswell.

Imagine going to the Joy for Piracy!!!

johnnyskeleton

Murder is extra territorial in france, so don't knock off any frenchies.

Capt'n Midnight

If the americans want to take you to court then they can, under their leagal system. Or they could leave you in cuba (sp) for years.

The_Minister

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mlawofsea.html

electric69

The stupidity of some peoples comments really is amazing on this thread.

International waters begin at either 3nm or 10nm out from land, depending on who you ask.Reason being it is a bit of a grey area.

Each vessel is tied to the rules set by its country of registration and in the event that the aircraft is right in the middle of the atlantic ocean for example, it is tied ICAO rules without exception.

Under the Convention of Tokyo, 1963 :"States Parties may establish jurisdiction in cases when the offense takes place in the territory of that state; the state is the state of registration of the air-craft; the aircraft lands in the state’s territory with the alleged offender still on board; or when the offense is committed against or on board an aircraft leased without crew to a lessee whose primary place of business or permanent residence is in that state. Criminal jurisdiction exercised in accordance with national law is not excluded by this convention."

"The convention requires states to make the offenses punishable by severe penalties, and it lays out guidelines for cus-tody of suspects. States Parties are required to either extradite the offender or submit the case for prosecu-tion. States Parties are also required to assist each other in connection with criminal proceedings brought under the convention."

-annex-

It's not a grey area at all. The limits are set down by the UN Law of the Sea. International waters generally don't start until beyond 200 nautical miles, even further for us as we extended our continental shelf off the south-west coast beyond the standard 200 nautical mile limit. Seems like a lot of fuel and hassle to go all the way out there just for some under-age drinking/murder; whatever you're in to.

MOH

-annex- wrote: »

It's not a grey area at all. The limits are set down by the UN Law of the Sea. International waters generally don't start until beyond 200 nautical miles, even further for us as we extended our continental shelf off the south-west coast beyond the standard 200 nautical mile limit. Seems like a lot of fuel and hassle to go all the way out there just for some under-age drinking/murder; whatever you're in to.

No, the 200 nm limit is only for rights to natural resources (the "exclusive economic zone"). There's 12 nm of territorial waters, followed by a 12 nm "contiguous zone" in which states can enforce certain laws.

Sherifu

If it's in the script then it can be done.

electric69

-annex- wrote: »

It's not a grey area at all. The limits are set down by the UN Law of the Sea. International waters generally don't start until beyond 200 nautical miles, even further for us as we extended our continental shelf off the south-west coast beyond the standard 200 nautical mile limit. Seems like a lot of fuel and hassle to go all the way out there just for some under-age drinking/murder; whatever you're in to.

WRONG

International waters start, as i said at either 3nm or 10 nm. The fishing waters are something completly seperate and have nothing to do with this topic.

Jigsaw

Tha Gopher wrote: »

Where do international waters begin and end?


Imagine the business a Dutch registered mega ship would do docked 12 miles off Dublin with the day tripper crowd. Everyone coming back with glazed eyes and an empty sack.

LMAO

I like the sound of that!!