Autonomous Maritime Vehicles in Law Enforcement Contexts in the South China Sea

Abstract The rapid deployment of Maritime Autonomous Vehicles (MAVs), including Autonomous Maritime Vehicles in Law Enforcement Contexts (AMVLEs), adds a technological dimension to maritime security in the South China Sea (SCS), where overlapping claims, strategic competition, and intensive law-enforcement activities create risks of miscalculation and escalation. This article examines how AMVLEs may affect existing law-of-the-sea rules and regional maritime security during peacetime law enforcement. It argues that AMVLEs do not create underlying tensions but may amplify them by complicating identification, assessment of navigational rights and immunities, and evaluation of lawful responses during maritime encounters. The article finds that these challenges do not require a new autonomous-vehicle regime. Existing UNCLOS rules may instead be adapted through consistent application, operational procedures, clear attribution and State responsibility, and regional cooperation. Legal adaptation, operational restraint, and confidence-building measures can reduce uncertainty and escalation risks while preserving UNCLOS as the foundation of the regional maritime legal order.