A Maritime Exclusion Zone (MEZ) is a military exclusion zone at sea. While it is an accepted concept internationally, it is not the subject of an explicit treaty, and there has been variation in naming including: "naval exclusion zone", "maritime security zone", "blockade zone", "maritime operational zone", "area subject to long distance blockade" and "area dangerous to shipping".[1]
During armed conflicts since the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, belligerents have sometimes established maritime zones to control or prohibit access of foreign ships and aircraft, with varying levels of restriction and risk of attack on merchant vessels.[2] A MEZ is different to a blockade in that enforcing naval forces are not deployed close in to a port but over an extended area, and that offending vessels are generally subject to attack rather than confiscation. The development of the MEZ concept from a blockade reflects the technological changes enabling longer ranges for detection systems and weapons.[1]
- ^ a b Michaelsen, Christopher (October 2003). "Maritime Exclusion Zones in Times of Armed Conflict at Sea: Legal Controversies Still Unresolved". Journal of Conflict and Security Law. 8 (2): 363–390. doi:10.1093/jcsl/8.2.363. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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