Maritime Affairs Program
The ICAS Maritime Affairs Program (MAP) stimulates intellectual research and exchanges on ocean governance in the global maritime domain.
MAP Spotlights
Maritime Affairs Program Spotlights are a short-form written background and analysis of a specific issue related to maritime affairs, which changes with each issue. The goal of the Spotlight is to help our readers quickly and accurately understand the basic background of a vital topic in maritime affairs and how that topic relates to ongoing developments today.
There is a new Spotlight released with each issue of the ICAS Maritime Affairs Program (MAP) Handbill – a regular newsletter released the last Tuesday of every month that highlights the major news stories, research products, analyses, and events occurring in or with regard to the global maritime domain during the past month.
Join in the conversation on Twitter at #ICASMAP and #MAPWave.
U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs
By Zhangchen Wang
(October 2024)
(October 2024)
U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs
The U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs is a position in the U.S. government that was established in 2022 to enhance America’s role in the Arctic, a maritime region that has become increasingly central to global geopolitics, economics, and environmental concerns...
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IUU Fishing
By Jessica Martin
(September 2024)
(September 2024)
IUU Fishing
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing) is a broad term that generally refers to the fishing and fishing-related activities that violate or circumvent fisheries laws and regulations that are designed to prevent overfishing and the resulting dangerous ecological imbalances...
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The Nord Stream Pipelines
By Yilun Zhang
(August 2024)
(August 2024)
The Nord Stream Pipelines
The Nord Stream pipelines, run by Nord Stream AG, an international consortium of five major companies established in 2005, were built to transport natural gas directly from Russia to Europe...
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Icebreakers
By Jessica Martin
(July 2024)
(July 2024)
Icebreakers
Icebreakers are marine vessels uniquely designed to break ice and make ice-covered waters accessible, either for their own passage or for the passage of other ships through icy landscapes...
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ITLOS
By Wyatt Huang
(June 2024)
(June 2024)
ITLOS
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) is an independent, international judicial body established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)...
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Baltic Sea
By Jessica Martin
(May 2024)
(May 2024)
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a large, shallow, brackish inland sea of the North Atlantic Ocean found in the northeastern part of the European continent...
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Hainan
By Yilun Zhang
(April 2024)
(April 2024)
Hainan
Hainan is an island province directly south of China’s mainland. The province administers the island of Hainan, which is the largest island of mainland China, and various smaller islands in the South China Sea...
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Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
By Ao Gu
(March 2024)
(March 2024)
Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), also known as underwater drones, are submersible vehicles that can operate underwater without a human occupant...
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Offshore Drilling
By Zhangchen Wang
(February 2024)
(February 2024)
Offshore Drilling
Offshore drilling refers to the process of extracting oil and gas reserves that lie underneath the Earth’s seabed...
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Deep-Sea Mining
By Amanda Jin
(January 2024)
(January 2024)
Deep-Sea Mining
Deep-sea mining commonly refers to the extraction or retrieval of mineral deposits from ocean floor at or below 200 meters (656 feet)—an area believed to contain rich resources of valuable and critical minerals...
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The Red Sea
By Jessica Martin
(December 2023)
(December 2023)
The Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, roughly 1,200 miles long and 190 miles wide at its widest point, that separates the African and Asian continents and connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Arabian Sea...
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Submarine Volcanoes
By Jacqueline Cheng
(November 2023)
(November 2023)
Submarine Volcanoes
Submarine volcanoes, also referred to as volcanic seamounts, are volcanoes that are located below sea level...
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Air Interception and Close Encounters
By Yilun Zhang
(October 2023)
(October 2023)
Air Interception and Close Encounters
‘Interception’ is a technical aviation term that is usually used to describe the practice of a military flight to intercept another unidentified or unregistered aircraft in a restricted or prohibited airspace...
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The Panama Canal
By Jessica Martin
(September 2023)
(September 2023)
The Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a 77 km man-made waterway, completed in 1914, that cuts through the Isthmus of Panama and allows ships from around the world to drastically reduce travel time between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean...
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Ocean Temperature
By Zhangchen Wang
(August 2023)
(August 2023)
Ocean Temperature
Ocean temperature, a term used to refer to both the temperature of the ocean at any depth as well as the temperature of the ocean deep under the surface, plays an integral role in influencing the ecosystems...
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Nine-Dash Line
By Alec Caruana
(July 2023)
(July 2023)
Nine-Dash Line
The ‘nine-dash line’ is one of many names for a controversial Chinese maritime claim in the South China Sea...
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Maritime Search and Rescue
By Jessica Martin
(June 2023)
(June 2023)
Maritime Search and Rescue
In general, maritime search and rescue (SAR) is a maritime safety operation referring to the highly coordinated efforts to provide assistance to persons or vessels in distress at sea, which is usually given regardless of their status or nationality...
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U.S. Shipping Reforms
By Amanda Jin
(May 2023)
(May 2023)
U.S. Shipping Reforms
Maritime shipping is an important cornerstone of U.S. trade and economy and the leading mode of transportation for both U.S. imports and exports...
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Joint Naval Exercise
By Jessica Martin
(April 2023)
(April 2023)
Joint Naval Exercise
Joint military exercises is a relatively new strategic concept credited to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance who has been conducting such exercises since 1951...
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Strait of Malacca
By Yilun Zhang
(March 2023)
(March 2023)
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is located on the Western perimeter of the South China Sea. Running between the Eastern coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the Western coast of Malaysia, it stretches 65-250 km wide and 800 km long...
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Carrier Strike Groups
By Alec Caruana
(February 2023)
(February 2023)
Carrier Strike Groups
A carrier strike group (CSG) is a type of operational formation in the US Navy...the inclusion of several surface and sub-surface escort ships gives CSGs the resilience to maintain a preeminent military presence wherever they may be deployed...
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The Black Sea
By Jessica Martin
(January 2023)
(January 2023)
The Black Sea
The Black Sea, referred to by some in Greece as the “Euxine Sea” (Greek for “hospitable”), is a nearly enclosed sea uniquely situated between the continents of Europe and Asia...
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Taiwan Strait
By Yilun Zhang
(December 2022)
(December 2022)
Taiwan Strait
The Taiwan Strait, at a mere 100 nautical miles wide, situated between China’s mainland and the island of Taiwan, has increasingly become a significant roadblock for any potential progress in the U.S.-China relations...
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Antarctic Treaty System
By Amanda Jin
(November 2022)
(November 2022)
Antarctic Treaty System
On December 1, 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was signed between the twelve countries that had been active in and around Antarctica...
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Green Shipping
By Zhangchen Wang
(October 2022)
(October 2022)
Green Shipping
Maritime shipping is arguably the most important mode of global transportation. It was also the primary–or only–mode for hundreds of years...
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Northern Sea Route
By Jessica Martin
(September 2022)
(September 2022)
Northern Sea Route
The Northern Sea Route (NSR, or Severoput in Russian) is a global shipping route about 2,200-2,900 miles long that lies entirely within Arctic waters...
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Maritime Shipping
By Yilun Zhang
(August 2022)
(August 2022)
Maritime Shipping
Maritime shipping is the essential foundation of the global economy. United Nations statistics show that over 80% of the volume of international trade is through the sea...
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The Maldives
By Jessica Martin
(July 2022)
(July 2022)
The Maldives
The Republic of Maldives is an archipelagic country located approximately 470 miles (750 kilometers) southwest of India in the Indian Ocean...
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ASEAN
By Alec Caruana
(June 2022)
(June 2022)
ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional inter- governmental organization currently made up of 10 member states across Southeast Asia...
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UNCLOS
By Sylvia Hu
(May 2022)
(May 2022)
UNCLOS
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an international treaty that establishes a legal framework for the sustainable development of the oceans and their natural resources...
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Blue Carbon and Marine Protected Areas
By Matt Geraci
(April 2022)
(April 2022)
Blue Carbon and Marine Protected Areas
First emerging as an acknowledged field of study as part of a 2009 United Nations Environment Programme report...“blue carbon” has been recognized as a crucial, natural way to sequester carbon and conserve marine ecosystems in the long-term...
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F35 Lightning II
By Yilun Zhang
(March 2022)
(March 2022)
F35 Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, also known as the F-35 Lightning II, is a fifth generation strike fighter aircraft currently in use by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), Marine Corps (USMC), and Navy (USN)...
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Guam
By Jessica Martin
(February 2022)
(February 2022)
Guam
Guam, a 210 square mile island located in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean, is the southernmost of the Mariana Islands and the largest island in Micronesia...
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