[PUP] Mexico Boarding Incident

[Mike Maurice]

Mexico claims a Territorial Sea of 12 miles and a Contiguous Zone of 24 
nautical miles; the same as the US.

The High Seas is that beyond the Contiguous Zone. The CZ is where the 
state can exert limited control for the purpose of preventing or 
punishing: "infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary 
regulations within its territory or territorial sea."

Under International Law a governmental vessel may approach any vessel in 
  International Waters (IW, High Seas) to verify its nationality. You 
may not be boarded by another nation's ships while in IW, unless they 
get permission from your government. Or, for 5 explicit reasons, where 
there is reasonable grounds for suspecting:
Piracy, slave trading, unauthorized broadcasting, without nationality, 
or flying a bogus country flag in order to hide its nationality. USCG 
COMDTPUB P5800.1

If anyone wants to board while in IW you are entitled to know the 
justification as per above. In any event, you may want to get in contact 
with your country's authorities. There are definitions for each of the 
terms used above. For instance, broadcasting is not simple transmitting, 
but where it is targeted at the nearby country.

As you may guess, there is a lot more to all this. Getting outside 
advise at such a time is a good idea.

Mike

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Capt. Mike Maurice
Beaverton Oregon(Near Portland)