This reference is built around the 1982 United Nations Convention on the law of the sea and other relevant maritime materials. While it addresses all aspects of ocean usage, much emphasis has been placed on issues of contemporary importance such as international fisheries, maritime boundaries and deep seabed mining. The first part introduces traditional zones of jurisdiction and doctrine such as inland waters, territorial seas or high seas, as well as some new concepts related to navigation - the regimes of international straits and archipelagic waters and exclusive economic zones. The latter part analyses functional issues such as fishing, oil and gas exploitation, mining, scientific research and maritime pollution, describing the international law on each subject with reference to the US law for comparison.