An infographic showing 400 years of maritime security documents the milestones made in the field since maritime laws came into inception at the beginning of the seventeenth century.
The ‘Treaty of Westphalia’ came into force in 1648, which sought to recognise that rulers could have complete authority and sovereignty over land, however they, and their nations could not take full control over the seas.
It wasn’t until the mid-twentieth that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) was created as the key institution for the development of international maritime law.
The IMO would then go on to create 50 treaties and hundreds of codes and guidelines which would be applied to 100% of global trade.
The first successful collaborative approach was made to maritime security after the introduction of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was passed in 1982.
See below for the infographic:
Infographic Shows 400 Years of Maritime Security. (Source: Norwich University)