Also known as: international seabed areas · the Area · Area (UNCLOS) · seabed beyond national jurisdiction
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
The seabed and ocean floor, as well as the subsoil, lying beyond the territorial limits of nations.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Ironclad Industries submitted an application to explore mineral deposits in the international seabed area west of State A. The company confirmed that the proposed site lay beyond any nation's territorial sea and exclusive economic zone. Regulators reviewed the application under rules governing the area outside national jurisdiction.
Idris Ives and his young cousins entered a restricted zone within the international seabed area to collect samples. Because of their youth they failed to appreciate the hazards of the deep-sea equipment. The operator faced liability for failing to secure the area against such foreseeable intrusions.
Officers arrested Ines Ibarra aboard a vessel operating in the international seabed area. They searched only the cabin within her immediate control and seized documents from that limited space. Evidence from areas beyond her wingspan was excluded from the prosecution.
Iris Energy deposited payment instruments drawn on a foreign bank for work performed in the international seabed area. The collecting bank followed its automated procedures without manual examination. The bank satisfied the ordinary-care standard prevailing in its location.
Integrity Partners confined Imran Iyer to a work platform in the international seabed area by threatening immediate force if he attempted to leave the designated zone. The confinement lasted only until the shift supervisor resolved the safety issue. Iyer later sued for false imprisonment arising from the threat-based restriction.
Officers brought a drug-sniffing dog onto the deck of a support vessel moored in the international seabed area. The dog alerted at the hatch leading to crew quarters. The court suppressed the resulting evidence because the sniff exceeded the implied license to approach the vessel.
It refers to the seabed and ocean floor together with the subsoil that lies beyond the territorial limits of any nation.
Supporting sources
No. The international seabed area is limited to the seabed, ocean floor, and subsoil beyond national territorial limits, whereas the high seas encompass the water column above that seabed.
Supporting sources
Activities are governed by international agreements that establish a regime for exploration and exploitation by states and authorized entities under the supervision of an international authority.
Supporting sources
…a compelling state interest, and that, although the appellee presented "several compelling justifications for state presence in the area of abortions," the statutes outstripped these justifications and swept "far beyond any areas of compelling state interest." 314 F. Supp., at 1222-1223. Appellant and appellee both contest…