By Alba Grembi
While international law in general takes into account evolving State capacities in technology and material challenges, the obsolete character of certain norms under the law of naval warfare leaves the framework of present-day maritime rescue operations incomplete. This has created drawbacks vis-à-vis the efficient protection of search and rescue operations in practice, as shown in the case of the search and rescue vessel Sapphire operating during the naval warfare in the Black Sea. This article demonstrates the necessity of belligerent abidance by the object and purpose of the Second Geneva Convention of 1949 and the role of relevant maritime law norms in the effective implementation of maritime rescue services during naval warfare.
