Interception (Naval)

Naval interception is a warship stopping, querying, or diverting another vessel at sea to enforce a legal regime. The lawful basis varies: the UNCLOS Article 110 right of visit for piracy or statelessness, a UN Security Council embargo mandate, flag-state consent, the inherent right of self-defense, or sanctions enforcement. Without one of these, stopping a foreign-flagged ship on the high seas breaches the exclusive flag-state jurisdiction of Article 92. Interception sits at the lower end of the force spectrum below maritime interdiction operations, which add boarding and search.