Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2026 to Question 2959 on Shipping: Russia, which specific articles of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea have been used by the Royal Navy to justify conducting maritime interdiction operations since 2000.

The Royal Navy (RN) supports enforcement bodies in their maritime interdiction operations in accordance with the United Kingdom’s obligations and rights under international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It does not rely on a single provision, but on the relevant article depending on the circumstances of each operation.

The articles most commonly used in interdiction operations by the RN are UNCLOS Article 110(1)(a) and UNCLOS Article 110(1)(d).