Singapore Reviews Maritime Laws as UN High Seas Treaty Takes Effect

A Global Ocean Agreement Moves Into Singapore Law

Singapore is reviewing its domestic laws and maritime policies after the United Nations High Seas Treaty entered into force on January 17, 2026. The agreement brings a new framework for protecting marine life in waters beyond any single country's control, a region covering nearly two thirds of the world's oceans.

As of January 21, Singapore is among 83 countries that have ratified the treaty, formally known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement. Ratification is a country's formal commitment to follow an international agreement. Singapore now has to turn that commitment into rules governing activities within the treaty's scope.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that government agencies are examining existing legal frameworks to identify gaps. The review is expected to affect environmental impact assessments, the regulation of maritime activities and the management of research in the deep sea.

Singapore's Ambassador for International Law, Rena Lee, presided over the treaty negotiations. Marking its entry into force, she described the agreement as the result of years of international cooperation:

The entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement today stands as a monument to multilateralism and to the years of dedication, dialogue and cooperative action by countless committed people around the world.

Lee helped bridge differences between developed and developing nations during the negotiations. The agreement is widely regarded as the most substantial multilateral environmental convention since the Paris Climate Agreement.

Singapore's task now brings together responsibilities that matter directly to its economy and scientific community. As a major maritime hub, it must consider how conservation measures interact with shipping. As a participant in ocean research, it must also address how marine resources are studied and how the benefits of that work are shared.

What Changes for Waters Beyond National Control?

The high seas lie beyond countries' exclusive economic zones, which extend 200 miles from their coasts. These vast waters have historically been managed through a patchwork of regulations, leaving gaps in oversight and protection.

Overfishing, pollution, illegal wildlife trafficking and industries seeking seabed minerals have placed pressure on these areas. Their fragmented regulation has often prompted descriptions of the high seas as a "Wild West", where activity could outpace effective supervision.

The BBNJ agreement provides the first legal framework for protecting biodiversity in international waters. It seeks to make the use of marine resources sustainable and ensure that benefits from those resources are shared fairly among nations.

The treaty's framework brings together the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity, management tools for specific areas such as marine protected areas, environmental impact assessments, and capacity building alongside the transfer of marine technology. It also gives particular attention to marine genetic resources and the sharing of benefits arising from their use.

Marine biodiversity means the variety of living things in the ocean. Protecting it involves more than safeguarding individual species: it also means protecting the places where they live and the relationships that keep marine ecosystems functioning.

Why Ocean Protection Is Also a Climate Issue

The oceans have absorbed vast amounts of the excess heat and carbon dioxide generated by human activity. That role has come at a cost: waters are warming, becoming more acidic and losing oxygen.

Ocean acidification describes the change in seawater chemistry as it takes up carbon dioxide. Deoxygenation means a reduction in the oxygen available in the water. Alongside warming, these changes put marine ecosystems under growing pressure.

The treaty creates a mechanism for protecting large stretches of ocean and helping ecosystems withstand those pressures. It is crucial to the global pledge to protect 30 percent of the world's land and oceans by 2030, known as "30x30". Without the agreement, achieving that protection target for the high seas would be legally impossible.

The BBNJ agreement sits under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It is the third implementing agreement under that convention, adding to the international legal structure governing the ocean.

A Conference of the Parties will oversee implementation and adopt standards and guidelines. This decision making body brings together countries that have joined the agreement and will meet annually. Its decisions will help turn the treaty's broad commitments into practical requirements.

Singapore Examines Environmental Assessment Rules

Environmental impact assessments are a central part of Singapore's legal review. An assessment examines how a proposed activity could affect the environment before that activity goes ahead, allowing potential harm to be considered in planning and regulation.

Under the treaty, countries must carry out assessments when planned activities could harm the marine environment. The requirement also reaches activities originating within a country's own jurisdiction if their effects extend into the high seas.

Singapore already has robust assessment processes for domestic projects, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its processes for activities on the high seas, however, are not fully written into law. Agencies are examining how existing domestic arrangements can be adapted to meet the agreement's requirements.

Professor Peter Ng, an adviser at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, has called for rigorous assessment frameworks and clear guidance for companies registered in Singapore that operate on the high seas.

Such guidance would matter to companies exploring the seabed and those collecting marine organisms for commercial purposes. One example is the harvesting of rare sponges for compounds that could be used in medicines. The review therefore reaches beyond ships moving goods to activities that involve studying or taking material from marine ecosystems.

The treaty also requires transparency. Planned activities must be publicly notified, and affected groups must have opportunities to provide feedback. Adapting to those requirements may require changes in how Singapore handles confidential information.

The Conference of the Parties will eventually adopt standards for assessments. Singapore plans to take those international standards into account when updating its domestic processes, so its companies and scientists work to the same benchmarks as counterparts elsewhere.

The practical challenge is to connect familiar domestic procedures with activities in waters outside national control. Clear rules will be needed to identify which activities require assessment, how their possible effects are examined and how the public takes part.

Shipping and Conservation Must Work Together

Singapore's position as one of the world's busiest ports makes the treaty's implementation especially relevant to maritime trade. Marine protected areas established under the agreement can restrict human activities, with possible effects on shipping lanes and vessel traffic.

Marine policy analyst Youna Lyons has noted that proposed protected areas could affect Singapore's shipping activities. The government will need to balance the movement of international trade with protection for sensitive marine ecosystems.

Dr. Tara Davenport of the NUS Centre for International Law has stressed that the treaty should work alongside existing regulatory frameworks. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) already has responsibility for shipping, while the International Seabed Authority has a mandate covering seabed mining.

The BBNJ agreement is designed to complement those organisations. Coordination matters because a conservation measure for a particular ocean area may involve activities already governed by another international body.

The IMO, for example, already applies stricter rules against pollution in designated sensitive sea areas. The treaty's environmental assessment provisions are intended to operate alongside such existing rules.

Singapore plans to take an active role in upcoming treaty meetings and work with the IMO to balance international shipping needs with marine protection. That diplomatic work will allow it to advocate for the maritime community while meeting its conservation commitments.

Marine Research Brings Benefits and Responsibilities

Singapore is also positioning itself to contribute to the scientific work required by the agreement. Its strengths in research on the high seas make it a partner for developing countries seeking to build skills in oceanography and marine biology.

The treaty places strong weight on marine scientific research and on sharing benefits from marine genetic resources. Those resources include genetic material from marine organisms that researchers can study, including material relevant to the search for medicinal compounds.

Fair sharing matters because countries differ in their access to ships, equipment and specialist knowledge. Capacity building means helping countries develop the skills and resources needed to participate in research and ocean management. The transfer of marine technology is another part of that effort.

Professor Ng has stressed the need for a global perspective when studying climate change and ocean currents. These processes cross national borders, so research and the knowledge it produces have value beyond the country conducting an expedition.

Singapore's contribution therefore extends beyond updating regulations at home. Sharing scientific expertise can help other countries meet their obligations under the treaty and take a meaningful part in decisions about international waters.

An Indian Ocean Expedition Shows the Scientific Role

In October 2025, scientists from NUS and the nonprofit organisation OceanX explored a chain of seamounts in the Indian Ocean. Seamounts are underwater mountains, and examining them helps researchers understand parts of the ocean that are difficult to reach.

The expedition mapped more than 8,300 square kilometres of seafloor and included scientists from several Asian countries. Its combination of research and international participation illustrates the type of cooperation central to the treaty's capacity building goals.

Researchers used remotely operated vehicles and environmental DNA analysis. Remotely operated vehicles allow scientists to investigate underwater environments from a distance. Environmental DNA analysis examines traces of genetic material in water to detect marine life without having to collect the organisms themselves.

The expedition's tools and skills can also be used in shallow waters. Scientists who gain experience with them can apply that knowledge to the management of marine resources closer to their own coasts.

The October expedition and the treaty's entry into force form part of Singapore's transition from scientific and diplomatic preparation to implementation:

• October 2025: NUS and OceanX scientists explored an Indian Ocean seamount chain and mapped more than 8,300 square kilometres of seafloor.
• January 17, 2026: The BBNJ agreement entered into force.
• January 21, 2026: Singapore is reviewing domestic legislation and maritime policies to meet its treaty obligations.
• During 2026: The first Conference of the Parties is expected to meet to settle operational details.

Why Southeast Asia Has a Direct Stake

Seven ASEAN countries, including Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, are parties to the treaty. Southeast Asia is surrounded by ocean, and fisheries provide both protein and employment across the region.

Rizza Sacra-Dejucos, Asia Regional Coordinator of the High Seas Alliance, has highlighted the importance of protecting international waters to sustain balanced ecosystems that support coastal communities.

Tuna and other migratory species move between national waters and the high seas. Ocean currents also connect distant areas. Protecting ecosystems outside national boundaries therefore matters to the fish and marine resources on which coastal populations depend.

Regional participation gives those connections a place in international decision making. The agreement's goals require cooperation across borders because marine life and changes in the ocean move through waters governed by different authorities.

From Ratification to Practical Protection

The treaty's 83 ratifying countries have created momentum for implementation, but enforcement in international waters remains difficult. The agreement depends on countries cooperating and incorporating its requirements into national law.

The United States has signed the treaty but has not ratified it. It will therefore participate as an observer without voting rights. Signing and ratifying are different stages: ratification is the formal step that makes a country a party to the agreement.

The first Conference of the Parties is expected to meet within 2026 to finalise operational details. No exact meeting date or timetable for completing Singapore's legal changes has been given. Singapore plans to participate actively in the discussions.

The creation of the first marine protected areas on the high seas will be a major milestone in moving from agreement to action. International standards for environmental assessments will also help shape how countries apply the treaty to companies and researchers.

Singapore's implementation brings together legal reform, industry regulation and scientific cooperation. Its central task is to meet the new conservation obligations while maintaining its role as a leading maritime hub and contributing knowledge that other countries can use.

The Bottom Line

• The UN High Seas Treaty entered into force on January 17, 2026, covering waters that make up nearly two thirds of the world's oceans.
• Singapore is among 83 countries that have ratified the agreement and is reviewing its domestic laws and maritime policies.
• Environmental impact assessments, public notification and feedback are central to the legal review.
• Marine protected areas could affect shipping activity, requiring coordination with existing international regulators.
• The NUS and OceanX expedition in October 2025 mapped more than 8,300 square kilometres of Indian Ocean seafloor.
• Seven ASEAN countries are parties to the treaty, connecting ocean protection with regional fisheries and coastal livelihoods.
• The first Conference of the Parties is expected during 2026, with Singapore planning an active role.