STARDUST II - Spatial and Temporal Assessment
of high Resolution Depth profiles Using novel Sampling Technologies The fate of pollutants in fluvial and marine sediments in cross-border zones
The coastal seas in international law: Contextualising Grotius’s De iure belli ac pacis
Cattelan, S.; Sicking, L. (2025). The coastal seas in international law: Contextualising Grotius’s De iure belli ac pacis. Grotiana 46(1): 43-65. https://dx.doi.org/10.1163/18760759-46010013
This article reconsiders Hugo Grotius’s contribution to the law of the sea by shifting the focus from Mare liberum (1609) to the more nuanced arguments of De iure belli ac pacis (1625). While often portrayed as the chief advocate of the freedom of the seas, his later work reveals a more complex position: without abandoning the principle of free navigation on the high seas, he acknowledged that coastal states might, under specific conditions, assert exclusive rights over adjacent waters. Situating Grotius within a longue durée framework, the article traces the evolution of coastal jurisdiction from medieval practices in the Low Countries and beyond, through early modern diplomatic disputes over fishing rights and neutral waters. In particular, Grotius outlined the distinction between maritime dominium and imperium, hinting at the fact that exclusive rights at sea derived from either physical proximity to the coast or effective control. The discussion then extends to Cornelius van Bynkershoek’s De dominio maris dissertatio (1702), which developed the so-called cannon-shot rule as pragmatic compromise between maritime sovereignty and the freedom of the seas. By contextualising Grotius’s contribution, the article underscores the negotiated and dynamic character of the law of the sea.
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STARDUST II is a project funded by the INTERREG III A programme (France/Walloon Region/Flanders
French-Flemish subprogramme) of the European Community's Regional Development Fund.
Hosted by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
