Functionality of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1988 Rome Convention in Addressing Maritime Terrorism

Today, terrorism has taken various forms, and one of its types that endangers peace and security in the seas is “Maritime Terrorism”. Although the adoption of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea has strengthened the maintenance of international peace and security in the seas, this Convention includes no particular rules on prevention and suppression of Maritime Terrorism. The occurrence of the Achille Lauro incident in 1985 showed the existing legal loopholes in confronting security threats caused by terrorist activities in the seas. To address these gaps, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation and its 2005 protocol. In this context, and with descriptive – analytical method, the purpose of this paper is to review and analyze the content of these documents and their capabilities in the framework of effective combat against Maritime Terrorism. This paper concludes that for an effective combat against Maritime Terrorism, these conventions must be reviewed and strengthened through adopting preventive measures, effective prosecuting and punishing the perpetrators, and resolving possible conflicts with the rules of the International Law of the Sea.