New publication · eBook · English
Theory of the Maritime State
Conditions for Its Formation and Continuity in the Twenty-First Century
Maritime law Ocean governance Geopolitics
Maritime law,
from Latin America.
A space for scholarship, publications, and dialogue on the maritime world.
01 About LAMLS
A legal perspective
on the maritime world.
Latin American Maritime Law Studies (LAMLS) brings together a professional and scholarly body of work dedicated to examining maritime law from a Latin American perspective and the region’s relationship with the ocean.
Books, research, and conferences shape a forum for reflection on maritime law, ocean governance, and geopolitics.
Founder
Roberto Arriola García
Maritime Lawyer · Author · Speaker
His work connects maritime law with State capacity, ocean governance and maritime strategy, developing an interpretation of the Maritime State from a Latin American perspective with an international outlook.
02 Publications
A legal library
with a regional perspective.
A selection of works by Roberto Arriola García, including co-authored publications. Each listing identifies the available edition’s language.
Second Edition · 2026 · English
Treatise on Mexican Maritime Law
Maritime Centrality and the Oceanic Imaginary
2026 · English
Treatise on Uruguayan Maritime Law
History, Geopolitics, and Public Policy
2026 · Co-authored · English
Merchant Shipping in North America
Maritime Law, Port Logistics, and Strategic Regional Integration
International readers
Teoría del Estado Marítimo
Available summaries: Español · English · Português (Brasil) · Deutsch · Русский · 简体中文 · Ελληνικά · 日本語 · العربية
Changing the language at the top opens that section’s summary. You can choose another translation here.
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03 LAMLS Key Concepts Series
Concepts for understanding
the maritime dimension
The series comprises ten key concepts, with a new installment released each month. This section progressively incorporates the concepts already published.
4 of 10 key concepts publishedNext release planned: November 2026
Maritime
Centrality
The relationship among Objective Maritime Condition, Oceanic Imaginary, institutions, and coordinated action.
Read the English formulation
Reference text · Original English
Maritime Centrality is the guiding doctrinal principle through which a State aligns its Objective Maritime Condition with the Oceanic Imaginary of society, institutions, and coordinated action.
Source: Key Concept 001 — Maritime Centrality, accompanying text, LAMLS editorial archive.
Oceanic
Imaginary
The meanings, memories, and expectations through which a society interprets and values the ocean.
Read the English formulation
Reference text · Original English
The Oceanic Imaginary is the historically formed—and continually contested—set of meanings, memories, representations, and expectations through which a society interprets and values the ocean.
It shapes maritime identity, institutions, practices, and collective action and, in turn, is reshaped by them.
Source: Key Concept 002 — Oceanic Imaginary, accompanying text, LAMLS editorial archive.
Maritime
State
The structural incorporation of the maritime dimension into a State’s geography, interests, institutions, and capabilities.
Read the English formulation
Definition · Original English
A Maritime State is a State whose geography, interests, institutions, and capabilities structurally incorporate the maritime dimension.
Legal distinction · Original English
It is a doctrinal category—not a status under international law of the sea—and is distinct from the legal roles of flag State, coastal State, and port State.
Source: Key Concept 003 — Maritime State, v1.0, September 2026, slide 07/08.
Maritime
Nation
A political community that integrates the maritime dimension into its collective identity, public life and common future.
Read the English formulation
Definition · Original English
A Maritime Nation is a historically constituted political community, united by a sense of belonging and a will to live together, that integrates the maritime dimension into its collective identity, shared interests, public life and common future.
Constitution · Original English
Historical experience, education, culture and participation sustain it across generations. Shared belonging accommodates diversity and political disagreement.
Legal distinction · Original English
It is a doctrinal category, not a status under international law or an independent source of authority. It complements, but does not replace, the Maritime State.
Source: Key Concept 004 — Maritime Nation, v1.0, October 2026, slide 07/08.
The introductions and closing quotation are editorial summaries. The formulations reproduce the original English-language wording in the LAMLS doctrinal archive.
“A Maritime Nation integrates the sea into its collective identity,
public life and common future.”
04 Activities and engagements
Activities and engagements
Recent engagements
October162026 · 09:30
Completed event
Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico · In person
Arbitration and Mediation in International Maritime Contracts: the Singapore Convention and the New Codification of Mexican Private International Law
Hosts: Mexican Academy of Private International and Comparative Law (AMEDIP) and Autonomous University of Yucatán.
XLIX National Seminar on Private International and Comparative Law · Panel 5
Speaker: Roberto Arriola García.
Audience: jurists specializing in private international law.
Executive summary in English · Roberto Arriola García
October152026Completed event
Yucatán, Mexico
International Contracts: A Perspective from Maritime Law
Host: Autonomous University of Yucatán.
Law degree programme
Speaker: Roberto Arriola García.
Audience: undergraduate law students.
Executive summary in English · Roberto Arriola García
October142026 · 16:30Completed event
Puerto Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico · In person
Maritime Law: Legal, Regulatory and Operational Aspects for the Fishing Sector
Hosts: CANAINPESCA Yucatán and Asociación Exportamar Yucatán.
Speaker: Roberto Arriola García.
Audience: fishing industry entrepreneurs.
Executive summary in English · Roberto Arriola García
October012026Event completed
Mexico City, Mexico · Online
Mexico as a Digital Maritime Nation
Host: Barra Mexicana, Colegio de Abogados · Information Technology and Digital Rights Commission.
Speaker: Roberto Arriola García.
Audience: jurists specializing in information technology and digital rights.
Executive summary and slides in English · Roberto Arriola García
05 Contact
Let’s discuss
the maritime world.
Editorial collaborations, speaking engagements,
and professional exchange.
Institutional correspondence
contact@lamls.orgClicking the address opens your default email application; no message is sent automatically.