What happens if a vessel in hot pursuit enters foreign territorial waters?

When a vessel is in hot pursuit and enters the territorial waters of another state, the general principle in international law is that the pursuit must cease immediately. This respect for the sovereignty of the coastal state is foundational to the law of the sea. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a warship or police vessel can only pursue a suspected or fleeing vessel into the territorial waters of another state under specific conditions, and even then, such pursuit may often warrant the cessation of action due to respect for national sovereignty.

When a pursuing vessel crosses into the territorial waters of a foreign state, it risks infringing upon that state's rights and sovereignty, obligating it to stop the pursuit. This underlines the importance of international maritime law in regulating interactions between vessels and coastal states, ensuring that while law enforcement duties are upheld, they do not violate the territorial integrity of other nations. Therefore, the correct understanding aligns with this principle of sovereignty, leading to the conclusion that the pursuit must cease immediately upon entering foreign territorial waters.