The freedom of vessels to operate at sea without interference from foreign governments has been reinforced by an international tribunal ruling.
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) backed Panama in a case involving the arrest and detention of a bunker tanker by the Italian state 21 years ago.
ITLOS, an independent judicial body established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, found that Italy violated article 87, paragraph 1, of the Freedom of the Seas Convention.
