The Maritime Claims Reference Manual (MCRM) is issued under the authority of DoD Instruction S-2005.01, Freedom of Navigation (FON) Program (U), October 20, 2014. It provides a general reference concerning the maritime claims of all coastal nations. Its principal purpose is to facilitate the DoD Freedom of Navigation Program. Consequently, in selecting data for inclusion, primary emphasis has been placed on information concerning claims directly affecting navigation and overflight. Limited information has been included concerning other claims (e.g., Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), continental shelf claims, and environmental regulations). DoD 2005.1-M, “Maritime Claims Reference Manual,” June 23, 2005, is hereby canceled.

Download the Foreword in its entirety

• 200nm/CM: 200 nautical miles or Continental Margin
• EEZ: Exclusive Economic Zone
• EIF: Entered Into Force
• EXP: Depth of Exploitation
• LIS: Limits in the Sea; Department of State publication
• LOS Convention: 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea Convention
• m: Meters
• nm: Nautical Miles (2000 yards = 1852 m)
• 1958 DEF: Definition of Continental Shelf as contained in the 1958 Geneva Convention on the Continental Shelf, which is: "the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas adjacent to the coast but outside the area of the territorial sea, to a depth of 200 m or, beyond that limit, to where the depth of the superjacent waters admits the exploitation of the natural resources of the said areas."