Sometimes, admiralty courts apply principles of international law.[i]  Courts may apply the rules or laws of international treaties and conventions to which the United States is a party.[ii]  Generally, admiralty courts apply internationally recognized rules of navigation, as construed by the American courts.[iii]

[i] Mangone v. Moore-Mccormack Lines, 152 F. Supp. 848 (D.N.Y. 1957)

[ii] Warren v. United States, 340 U.S. 523 (U.S. 1951)

[iii] La Bourgogne, 210 U.S. 95 (U.S. 1908)