Federal Law No. 81-FZ enacting the Mercantile Marine Code.

The Mercantile Marine Code of the Russian Federation may be implemented, amended or enforced also by the Decrees of the President of the Russian Federation and by the Governmental Decrees of the Russian Federation. According to the Code, mercantile navigation includes also the harvest of marine living resources (biodiversity) with the use of fishing vessels and the protection and preservation of marine environment. This Code is applicable either to inland or to marine navigation. The mercantile navigation is supervised by the Federal Department of Transport and by the Federal Fishery Department. The Code classifies as hazardous substances the species of oil listed in the Addition I of the Annex I to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (1973), as modified by the Protocol of 1978 with subsequent modifications. It also classifies as hazardous all liquid substances that are listed in the Addition II to the Annex II to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (1973), as modified by the Protocol of 1978 with subsequent modifications. The President of the Russian Federation is recommended while the Government of the Russian Federation is obliged to modify their Legislative Acts in accordance with the requirements of this Code. This Code is composed of 28 chapters that contain 430 articles.Navigation and hydrographic support in the water area of the Northern Sea Route, in the waters of seaports located on the coast of the Northern Sea Route and on approaches to them shall be performed by a federal executive body, that carries out functions of providing public services and management of state property in the sphere of maritime transport, and by the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom in accordance with the procedure established by the Government of the Russian Federation (art. 5). A vessel acquires the right to fly the State Flag of the Russian Federation from the date of its state registration (art. 16).