Training Targets Lack of Legal Clarity Around Right to Life at Sea Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. June 14, 2026 Source: Human Rights at Sea A BlueRights training program held at the IMO International Maritime Law Institute in Malta has highlighted one of the most pressing challenges in international law: how to protect people at sea using the existing law of the sea, and maritime and human rights law when legal responsibilities are complex, fragmented and unclear. The two-day training, delivered in May, gave participants a practical understanding of the difficulties involved in using international law to safeguard people in maritime settings. Led by Prof Richard Barnes of the University of Lincoln/Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea (NCLOS) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway and Dr Jessica Schechinger of the NCLOS/UiT Faculty of Law, the training focused on the right to life at sea, especially in the context of search and rescue, the use of force, and risks and harms in the maritime workplace. A series of mini lectures combined with practical scenarios explored the (in)effectiveness of international human rights law, the European Convention on Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, many maritime instruments, humanitarian law, as well as the relationship between these legal regimes. The training brought together early career academics and graduate students, many of whom also hold professional roles, working for coastguards, navies, government departments, or in legal practice. “Undoubtedly the most positive aspect of the training school were the opportunities for participants to put their knowledge in to practice,” said Barnes. “We created a realistic scenario concerning search and rescue at sea and asked participants to formulate legal advice on how to address the human rights harms that were suffered by victims. “The feedback from the class emphasized the complexity of the legal regime and the challenge of identifying clear solutions to the