Maritime Governance: Dispelling Myths

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

• 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

Key Takeaway

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.