Executive summary Introduction Treaties and other agreements governing the seas Recent violations of the global maritime order Harassment of civilian vessels China’s construction of artificial islands to claim more sea territory Manipulation of navigational tools Gradual maritime border alteration Sabotage of sea-based infrastructure Illegal fishing Challenging UNCLOS Compliance with maritime rules Implications of systematic and state-linked violations of the global maritime order Potential measures to strengthen the global maritime order Conclusion Executive summary The maritime order, which ensures the freedom of the seas, is under intense and growing threat from rule violations in areas including maritime borders and the right of innocent passage. As the Atlantic Council has documented in the first two reports within its Threats to the Global Maritime Order: Securing Freedom of the Seas initiative , continuing attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and beyond pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas. So does the shadow fleet, whose size has ballooned since Russia began relying on it.
This report analyzes the deterioration of the global maritime order, focusing on rule violations in areas including maritime border alteration, harassment of civilian vessels, and disturbance of navigational tools. It also provides recommendations for measures that can help halt this deterioration of the global maritime order. 1 The Atlantic Council is grateful to the Maritime T.
