The United Nations Conventon on the Law of the Sea (LOS) has few immediately obvious implications for shipping. Shipping, still the most important use of the sea, may be impacted by several aspects of the Convention, notably those pertaining to navigation, particularly in straits and the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The new regimes of transit passage in straits and archipelagic sea-lane passage through archipelagic states probably will not pose any problems for shipping, but traffic separation schemes might. Problems may also arise out of the subordination of navigational rights to coastal states' resource rights in the EEZ and over the continental shelf. The new anti-pollution provisions may also pose problems for shipping, especially where there are conflicts between rules and standards of national and intergovernmental bodies. With the new, enhanced authority and responsibility granted to the flag state, the flag of convenience issue becomes more important and more controversial than ever. The LOS Convention, then, is important to shipping primarily because it establishes where and by whom the provisions of various IMO conventions will be enforced, and because it specifies the basic requirements for ships' registration. The shipping industry ought to take note of these potentially significant new factors.