Freedom of the High Seas

Article 87 of UNCLOS enumerates the freedoms of the high seas: navigation, overflight, the laying of submarine cables and pipelines, the construction of artificial islands, fishing, and marine scientific research. The freedoms are not unlimited; they must be exercised with due regard to the interests of other states and to the rights under the Convention respecting the Area. The catalogue is non-exhaustive, which has fed argument over whether high-seas military exercises and weapons testing fall within it.