Coast Guard
E2. Naval, defence and maritime law enforcementDefinition
Civil maritime law-enforcement service with security role.
A maritime service that enforces national law at sea: customs, fisheries, immigration, pollution, vessel safety, and port security, plus search and rescue. Coast guards typically operate under a constabulary mandate, sometimes within an armed-forces structure (the US Coast Guard is a military service under Title 14 U.S.C., the fifth armed service). They board under flag-state authority and UNCLOS rights such as hot pursuit (Article 111) and visit on the high seas (Article 110). Vessels range from small patrol boats to high-endurance cutters and offshore patrol vessels.
Source: US Coast Guard authority: Title 14 U.S.C.; UNCLOS 1982 Articles 110 (right of visit) and 111 (hot pursuit).