Since the beginnings of international law, the law of the sea has been of paramount importance for international trade. Yet this area of law and international trade regulations have developed as two distinct areas with little interface with each other. As the GATT/WTO emerged in parallel to the LOS Convention since the 1970s, both bodies have made extensive efforts in international treaty making. However, the relationship between trade regulations and the law of the sea has hardly been explored.
The author examines some key aspects of this relationship, in particular port entry, access...