Review of the International Law of the Sea and (Transit Status of Landlocked Countries)

Landlocked countries face a unique set of challenges. Without a coastline, they have no direct way to trade by sea, so they rely on neighboring coastal countries to move goods in and out. This dependency isn’t just inconvenient—it drives up costs, and things get even trickier when a transit country decides to limit or block that access, especially under Article 125 of the Law of the Sea Convention. This article takes a close look at the maritime rights of landlocked countries. It uses a descriptive-analytical approach to tackle a key question: What does “transit status” really mean for landlocked countries trying to trade by sea? After digging into international documents, the article finds that the so-called “right of access” or “transit passage” is actually pretty limited. It’s an incomplete solution. The article argues that, if we truly treat the oceans as the common heritage of mankind, then landlocked countries deserve a clear legal right to access the sea. This right shouldn’t be denied or restricted unless there’s a genuine, proven security threat to the transit country.