United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

UNCLOS establishes a comprehensive legal framework governing the world's oceans, including territorial seas, exclusive economic zones, continental shelf rights, deep seabed mining, marine environmental protection, and dispute settlement. The United States has not ratified UNCLOS, though it considers most provisions to reflect customary international law and generally abides by them. Opposition in the Senate has focused on the deep seabed mining regime and compulsory dispute settlement provisions.