Demystifying Maritime Governance

• The rules and regulations governing the marine shipping industry and its operations
• How the governance of shipping is applied in the Canadian and international contexts
• The legal and institutional frameworks that apply to marine shipping in Canada and internationally
• Contemporary issues related to the governance of shipping, including Indigenous rights, marine spatial planning, risk governance, and seafarers’ health and safety

Clear Seas partnered with a team at Dalhousie University and the Memorial University of Newfoundland on a multi-part project to help increase knowledge of maritime governance in Canada. The research sought to add clarity around the different pillars of maritime governance and to analyze drivers of change in the existing system. It also explored emerging issues, needs and approaches for consideration in effective governance of shipping.

Clear Seas supported the creation of a series of resources to help inform decision-makers, rights holders, stakeholders, and the public on the governance of shipping. This includes a comprehensive, multi-part report that breaks down the global and domestic structures, frameworks, actors, interconnections, and processes involved in maritime governance.

Table of Contents

124 page PDF

Preface Preface

Provides historical and modern context for the governance of shipping

Part 1 Fundamentals of maritime governance

Explains the fundamentals of maritime governance within some international context

Part 2 The international legal framework for shipping

Explains the legal framework that maritime governance instruments are structured around

Part 3 The international institutions of maritime governance

Describes the international institutional framework of organizations that support maritime governance

Part 4 The governance of shipping in Canada

Describes the domestic components of maritime governance in Canada and how it is delivered and enforced

The knowledge and resources made accessible through this project will help to improve the collective understanding of how marine shipping is governed in Canada and beyond. A deeper understanding of the legal and institutional structures involved in the governance of shipping helps support informed decision-making and dialogues among leaders, industry members, Indigenous and coastal communities, and the public.

Watch the research team introduce the study and discuss the report’s highlights and conclusions: