The present article is to inquire into the extent which in permissible in the use of force on the sea by the coastal state law enforcement agency. In so doing, the present article in divided into 5 chapters. Introduction, is the use of force permissible in the exercise of hot pursuit?, the extent and level of the force, case studies, and conclusion and proposal.
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, in the M/V “Saiga” (No.2) case, has held as follows. In considering the force used by Guinea in the arrest of the Saiga, the Tribunal must take into account the circumstances of the arrest in the context of the applicable rules of international law. Although the Convention does not contain express provisions on the use of force in the arrest of ships, international law, which is applicable by virtue of article 293 of the Convention, requires that the use of force must be avoided as far as possible and, where force is unavoidable, it must not go beyond what is reasonable and necessary in the circumstances. Considerations of humanity must apply in the law of the sea, as they do in other areas of international law. Therefore, it is submitted that in the use of force, force must be limited in the ambit of the principles of reasonability and necessity.