Innocent Passage

Innocent Passage. The Commonwealth recognizes that the ships of all states enjoy the right of innocent passage through the archipelagic waters (other than internal waters) and the territorial sea, in accordance with customary international law and subject to the provisions of 2 CMC § 1133. The Commonwealth reserves the right to suspend temporarily in specified areas of its archipelagic waters or territorial sea the innocent passage of foreign ships, if such suspension is essential for the protection of the security of the Commonwealth. Such suspension shall be without discrimination in form or in fact among foreign ships, and shall take effect only after having been duly published. Source: PL 2-7, § 10.