Lighthouses and Lightships

Lighthouses, lightships, and other maritime signals are a reference point for the routes of ships and boats, indicating the presence of specific dangers or stretches of sea that are particularly difficult to cross. Therefore, they fall within the scope of aids to navigation. The regulation and administration of lighthouses and other maritime signals is generally a matter for coastal States. However, since the second half of the 19 century efforts have been made to devise uniform rules on maritime signals and to conclude international agreements concerning the construction, maintenance, and operation of some lighthouses of particular importance to international maritime traffic. It is also noteworthy that lighthouses and other installations that serve as aids to navigation can be decisive in establishing a State’s sovereignty over a given island. In this regard, the question has arisen as to whether and to what extent the presence of a lighthouse has a bearing on the sovereign rights of a coastal State as far as the distinction between islands and rocks under Art. 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is concerned.