Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed the law on the adjacent zone of Ukraine, which doubles the zone of Ukrainian control in the Black Sea.

The law harmonizes the maritime legislation of Ukraine with the legislation of other Black Sea states and other states parties to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the presidential press service said on Saturday, December 29.

Also, the law is aimed at preventing smuggling and illegal ship visits to the closed ports of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

"According to the law, the adjacent zone of Ukraine is an open sea area adjacent to the territorial sea of Ukraine and whose outer border is at a distance of no more than 24 nautical miles, measured from the baselines, from which the width of the territorial sea of Ukraine is measured," it said.

In its adjacent zone, Ukraine exercises control to prevent violations of customs, fiscal (tax), immigration (migration), sanitary national legislation within the territory of Ukraine, including its internal waters, or territorial sea.

"The control is exercised by bringing to responsibility for violation of the legislation of Ukraine committed within the territory of Ukraine, including its internal waters or territorial sea," it said.

Also, to prevent violations of the legislation of Ukraine or to prosecute for its violation, an authorized agency that ensures the inviolability of the state border and the protection of the sovereign rights of Ukraine in its adjacent and exclusive (maritime) economic zones can stop vessels; inspect them, detain or seize vessels and/or their crew members, excluding warships and other government ships used for non-commercial purposes.

"Under the law, if a vessel has violated the legislation of Ukraine and is trying to escape, the authorized agency has the right to pursue such a vessel without delay in order to detain and prosecute it in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982. Pursuing ceases as soon as the vessel that is being pursued enters the territorial sea of the state under the flag of which the ship is sailing or of any third country," it said.

The law comes into force on the day after its publication.