The narrow line between indifference and prudence: access to ports of foreign vessels in distress at sea. A right or a privilege?

Abstract

"[...] Since the 19th Century, many reported cases of access to ports of refuge were registered, including The Eleanor, The Encomium and The Creole. The dichotomy between the interest of vessels in distress to seek refuge and the sovereignty of coastal states over their ports was evident yet at the first stage. [...] The present dissertation aims to discuss the aforementioned issue for the purpose of determining whether or not coastal states have an obligation, under the international law of the sea, to grant refuge into their ports to ships in peril at sea."