The Newport Manual: The new kid on the block on the laws of naval warfare.

The article provides an overview and analysis of the 2023 Newport Manual on the Law of Naval Warfare (NPM), a new expert manual authored by a small group of international legal and operational experts to clarify the contemporary lex lata (law as it is) of naval warfare. The NPM aims to address gaps and topical issues not fully covered by the authoritative but partly outdated San Remo Manual on the International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea (SRM), offering critical divergences on subjects such as the targeting of passenger vessels, arming hospital ships, humanitarian requirements in blockades, the threshold for visit and search, and the due regard rule in exclusive economic zones. The manual also introduces novel discussions on conversion of merchant vessels into warships, attempted breach of blockade, unmanned maritime vessels, and the application of naval warfare law in non-international armed conflicts (NIAC). Emphasizing the lex specialis principle, the NPM holds that the law of naval warfare prevails over peacetime maritime law during hostilities, reflecting state practice primarily of major maritime powers, though it remains a non-binding scholarly guide rather than an official state position.