Week of 5 to 11 October 2026
Legislative, regulatory and case-law review
Maritime governance: the Conseil d’État calls for a genuine national strategy
On 7 October 2026, the Conseil d’État held a debate with the Musée national de la Marine following up its 2026 annual study, « La mer et les politiques publiques » (The sea and public policy). The study points to the scattering of responsibilities among the many administrations active at sea (maritime affairs, environment, energy, fisheries, defence, customs) and calls for a national maritime strategy better coordinated across ministries.
Led by the Conseil d’État’s studies, foresight and cooperation section, the debate brought together the Cluster maritime français, Haropa Port and the Tara Ocean Foundation, among others. No reform has been announced so far, but the study provides a working basis that may inspire, in the coming months, initiatives on the governance of maritime, port and energy activities.
What it means for businesses: maritime and port operators should follow what comes of this study, which could lead to a clarification, or even a reshaping, of responsibilities currently spread across several ministries.
Sanctions: Washington targets the last vessels of Iran’s shadow fleet
On 8 October 2026, the US Treasury’s OFAC announced, as part of « Operation Economic Outcast », the designation of 17 tankers and some fifteen companies involved in exporting Iranian crude oil and petrochemicals. The designations rest on Executive Order 13902, which targets Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors.
They entail the freezing of assets located in the United States or held by US persons, extension to entities owned 50% or more by designated persons, and exposure to secondary sanctions for foreign financial institutions facilitating significant transactions with them. Conversely, two vessels, the Hakuna Matata and the Pinocchio, were removed from the SDN list: OFAC considers that they left the shadow fleet after being sold to non-sanctioned operators.
The US action echoes the boarding of tankers carried out this year by the French Navy under the EU sanctions regime against Russia.
What it means for businesses: shipowners, charterers, insurers and P&I clubs should tighten counterparty screening (IMO numbers, ownership chains, flags of convenience) before any operation that may involve vessels or cargoes linked to these fleets.
Marine energy: applications close in the AO10 offshore wind tender
The week ends with the 12 October 2026 deadline for applications in tender No. 1/2026 of the Commission de régulation de l’énergie, known as « AO10 ». It covers eleven offshore wind projects totalling about 10 GW off Normandy, Brittany, the South Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean: the largest tender of its kind ever launched in France.
By that date, applicants had to have secured all the arrangements on which the admissibility of their bid depends: consortium structure, financing, grid connection and environmental permits.
What it means for businesses: bidders excluded as inadmissible or not selected have the usual remedies before the administrative courts against the specifications and the selection decisions; experience shows that such disputes mostly arise in the months following the close of the procedure.
The firm advises on maritime and shipping law in every French port, in mainland France and overseas.
Previous edition: Weekly Digest: Maritime Law (28 September-4 October 2026)
Our practice: lawyer in maritime and shipping law