France’s Maritime Lock on the Russian Vessel Shtandart

Legal and contextual analysis of the inter-prefectoral order of 5 March 2026

On 5 March 2026, the three French maritime prefects signed an inter-prefectoral order regulating the navigation of the vessel TS Shtandart in French waters. Although relatively discreet, this text in fact constitutes a highly structured legal measure that effectively neutralizes any possibility of operating the vessel along the French coastline.

The order is signed by the maritime prefects for the Atlantic, the Channel–North Sea and the Mediterranean, respectively Vice-Admirals Jean-François Quérat, Benoît de Guibert and Christophe Lucas. These authorities embody the distinctive French system of State action at sea, a hybrid framework combining the French Navy with maritime administrative policing.

➡️ Read the full text, in English, of the decree concerning the Shtandart
➡️ Cet article en français

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• 1. A text based on three levels of law
• 2. The prohibition of French internal waters
• 3. Strictly limited innocent passage
• 4. The neutralization of a cruise project
• 5. A clause targeting possible circumventions
• 6. National coordination of State action at sea
• 7. An effective legal lock
• Conclusion

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1. A text based on three levels of law

The order is based on a solid legal framework combining European law, international law and French administrative law.

1.1 European sanctions

The port ban is not French; it is European. France merely draws the operational consequences. The text first recalls that the vessel TS Shtandart is prohibited from accessing ports of the European Union under the restrictive measures adopted following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, notably Decision 2014/512/CFSP and Regulation (EU) No. 833/2014.

This statement is expressed without ambiguity. The French administration therefore considers the application of sanctions to the vessel to be an established fact, not a matter for debate.

1.2 The law of the sea

The order also relies on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, signed in Montego Bay in 1982. This convention guarantees foreign vessels a right of innocent passage through the territorial sea of coastal states.

However, this right is strictly regulated: it may only take the form of continuous and expeditious transit, without stopping or anchoring. In other words, the Shtandart may pass, but it may not freely navigate.

1.3 Maritime administrative policing

Finally, the maritime prefects use their administrative policing powers to define the conditions of navigation in French waters. These powers allow them to regulate vessel movements in order to ensure compliance with national and international law.

2. The prohibition of French internal waters

Article 1 of the order establishes a clear prohibition: the vessel Shtandart may not navigate in French internal waters.

This category notably includes:

• ports
• estuaries
• enclosed roadsteads
• port areas

3. Strictly limited innocent passage

The order nevertheless authorizes the vessel to cross the French territorial sea under the regime of innocent passage, but under extremely strict conditions.

The text specifies that such passage must consist of:

“continuous and expeditious transit along the most direct route possible, without stopping or anchoring.”

Any interruption is permitted only in very limited circumstances:

• an ordinary navigational incident
• force majeure
• the need to assist a vessel in distress

This wording has a major practical consequence: it makes any tourist or commercial activity along the French coast impossible. As noted above, even stopping to take passengers on board via a tender is prohibited.

4. The neutralization of a cruise project

A particularly remarkable aspect of the order is the explicit mention of a specific project: a cruise scheduled from 21 to 30 June 2026 between Charente-Maritime and the Breton coast, marketed by the Russian agency Kombat Tour.

It is rare for an administrative order to refer so precisely to a planned activity. This reference indicates that the maritime authorities were specifically alerted to this commercial operation by letters sent to the Russian agency by the collective No Shtandart in Europe, with the Atlantic Maritime Prefect copied.

• Kombat Tour – Warning on the legal risks related to sailings aboard the frigate “Shtandart” in European waters, 6 November 2025
• “Shtandart” and European sanctions: second formal warning to Kombat-Tour, 26 November 2025
• “Shtandart” and European sanctions: third formal warning to Kombat-Tour, 2 December 2025

The order therefore appears as a direct response aimed at preventing the realization of this cruise, but it is much more than that. In fact, the activities of Shtandart and Kombat-Tour provided the maritime authorities with a decisive element for the definitive legal locking of French coasts, internal waters and ports.

The fact that the order is inter-prefectoral (Atlantic, Channel–North Sea, Mediterranean) shows that there has been:

• a national-level analysis,
• coordination between maritime prefectures,
• probably escalation to the governmental level.

Such coordination generally occurs when a case has been identified as sensitive.

5. A clause targeting possible circumventions

The text also contains a particularly strategic provision concerning situations of distress. It specifies that a request for exemption based on force majeure or distress may only be considered if the situation is unforeseeable and imperative.

Conversely, a difficulty resulting from a foreseeable situation could lead to legal proceedings. This clause clearly aims to prevent a stop or port call from being justified by an incident caused by planned navigation incompatible with the established rules.

Article 3 is particularly severe:

a distress situation linked to a foreseeable circumstance may result in prosecution.

In other words, if Martus organizes a cruise despite everything, and in the event of:

• a breakdown
• bad weather
• a technical problem

he will not be able to invoke distress without risking legal proceedings. This provision acts as a legal safety net for the State.

6. National coordination of State action at sea

The inter-prefectoral nature of the text is also significant. The three French maritime prefects signed the order jointly, ensuring its application across the entire French coastline.

The distribution list confirms that the case is being followed at several levels of the State, notably the General Secretariat of the Sea and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Operational maritime authorities are also included, such as the Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Centres (CROSS): CROSS Corsen, CROSS Étel, CROSS Toulon-La Garde…

This distribution ensures that the vessel would be monitored and controlled if it entered French waters.

7. An effective legal lock

In practice, the order produces a simple but decisive effect. The vessel Shtandart may cross French territorial waters. But it may not:

• organize cruises
• freely sail along the coastline
• anchor off a port
• enter a roadstead or estuary
• embark or disembark passengers

In other words, any operation in French waters becomes legally impossible.

Conclusion

The inter-prefectoral order of 5 March 2026 provides a clear example of maritime regulation based on a subtle combination of international law, European law and national administrative policing.

Without totally prohibiting the presence of the vessel in the territorial sea — something that would be difficult to reconcile with the law of the sea — the French authorities have established a framework that effectively prevents any economic activity in their waters.

The message is clear: the vessel may cross French waters, but it cannot conduct any activity there as long as it remains subject to European sanctions.

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