International Ocean Law is an introductory volume for a law school course that focuses on international law of the sea. Authors McDorman, Bolla, Johnston, and Duff bring together the important provisions of international treaties, international court and arbitration cases, and selected government documents (including statutes) and interlace them with commentary and excerpts.

The concentration on commentaries and textual material rather than cases, statutes, and treaty provisions (although some of these are present) is particularly appropriate for an introductory course. The volume deals with the building blocks of international ocean law. For students, this means that it covers the fundamental aspects of the law of the sea while alerting them to complex related issues that are also part of understanding international ocean law. This volume is equally usable by novice and experienced professors of Ocean Law.