Convention clarifies frequently disputed rights of "innocent passage"

Perhaps most notably, the convention clarifies the difference between military activities and innocent passage, an increasingly important distinction in international disputes over freedom of navigation rights.⁷ For example, surveying and using weapons or intelligence-gathering capabilities (e.g., tapping into seabed fiber optic cables) in territorial waters are activities that violate innocent passage as described in the convention.⁸ LOSC also specifies norms and duties for submarines and other underwater vehicles, surface vessels and aircraft that must be met to ensure innocent passage in territorial waters and international straits. Submarines or other underwater vehicles operating in another state’s territorial waters, for example, are required to surface and show their flag in order to signal innocent passage.⁹