Cabinet Regulation No. 363 of 2016 on Procedures for Controlling, Inspecting and Detaining Ships in Latvian Waters

The Regulation prescribes the procedures by which ships are controlled, inspected and detained in Latvian waters. The controlling, inspecting and detaining of ships within the exclusive economic zone of Latvia must be performed in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Coast Guard must carry out the inspection of ships if there are grounds to believe that the ship has breached the laws and regulations governing the use of Latvian waters or provisions of the international law binding to Latvia; there are grounds to believe that manoeuvres of the ship jeopardise maritime safety; information has been received that the ship is illegally transporting firearms, explosives, illegal immigrants or is involved in other criminal offences; the ship does not provide information to the Coast Guard, the provided information is incomplete or there are grounds to suspect that false information has been provided; there is a threat of terrorism; and there are reasonable grounds to suspect that pollution of the marine environment has occurred.