Question: who has the power to protect american ships on the high seas

title: Freedom of the seas
text: According to international law , Article 92 of the convention which describes ships shall sail under the flag of one state only and , save in exceptional cases expressly provided for in international treaties or in this Convention , shall be subject to its exclusive jurisdiction on the high seas ; however , when a ship is involved in certain criminal acts , such as piracy , any nation can exercise jurisdiction under the doctrine of universal jurisdiction . High seas were defined as any part of the sea that was not either territorial sea or internal waters , territorial waters and exclusive economic zones . Article 88 of the 1982 Convention states that the high seas shall be reserved for peaceful purposes . Many countries engage in military maneuvers and the testing of conventional weapons and nuclear weapons on the high seas . In order to deliver the right punishment to the right person or state , ships must be registered to a country to show proof of ownership . The owner of the vessel sometimes prefers to pay the lower registration fees by picking countries such as Panama , Bermuda , Italy , Malta and the Netherlands . According to Cruise Lines International Association , 90 % of commercial vessels calling on U.S. ports fly foreign flags . To avoid the high cost with more rules and regulations , ships and tankers sometime prefer lower cost registration with a lower standard of inspection and regulation by picking a country that exercises less control over their registered ships , though many ships are owned by individuals or companies in another country ( most commonly Japan and Greece ) under a system called `` flag of convenience '' . Registering a ship in Panama means that the ship is governed by the maritime rules of Panama rather than the ship owner 's country . Ship owners do this because Panama has low taxes and fewer labor and safety regulations than most other countries . Ship owners can make their staff work longer hours in less safe environments , and therefore maximize their profits . Other countries , including Liberia , Cyprus and the Bahamas also offer flags of convenience , but Panama has the most ships registered under the scheme . Ships registered with the US will cost more , and the employee wages will be even higher . Freedom of the seas allows a ship to move freely on the ocean as long as it follows international law .