Hi everyone, I have been hired to fly and film over international waters for my company. What are the rules for flying over international waters? I don’t remember the Part 107 study sources going over this at all. Where can I find this out?
You are basically outside of any jurisdiction once you’re in international waters. You’re nobody’s responsibility, so they will quite happily let you do what you want. The reason governments can be strict about drones is that they have to deal with the fallout. Once they have no legal obligations, they don’t care.
@Oakley
The only caveat is that the ship you’re on might be considered the territory of the country it’s registered in. So if the drone is taking off from a ship, it would effectively be taking off from that country’s jurisdiction.
@Elizabeth
That could be the case, but it would still depend on someone making a complaint. Plus, as long as they have permission from the boat owner or captain, there shouldn’t be an issue.
Oakley said:
@Elizabeth
That could be the case, but it would still depend on someone making a complaint. Plus, as long as they have permission from the boat owner or captain, there shouldn’t be an issue.
Right, but if there’s an incident—like interfering with a military vessel—international laws could apply.
@Elizabeth
There are probably rules around that. My guess is they’d tell you to stay out of their way, or they might shoot down your drone.
Oakley said:
@Elizabeth
There are probably rules around that. My guess is they’d tell you to stay out of their way, or they might shoot down your drone.
Not many rules around it other than ‘don’t do it.’ 
But they likely won’t have anything anti-drone. Your drone will just show up on radar.
Part 107 only pertains to US airspace. As long as you’re not flying at 35,000 ft and are generally responsible, I don’t see why not.
I’ve spent over two years trying to operate legally outside US airspace. If you don’t ask for permission, it’s unlikely anyone will care. If you ask, you’ll be stuck in a world of international bureaucracy where approvals move at a glacial pace. We haven’t found laws stating you can’t fly out of US airspace, but some high-level officials claim we can’t.
@Lex
It seems better to wait until they figure out if you broke the law rather than getting stuck waiting for them to decide whether you might break the law. I can’t see how they could have any authority over what happens in international waters or what punishment they could impose.
@Lex
I flew in international waters with no issues taking off from a US ship. All I was told was not to hit the helicopter nearby.
Also: Do not take off from a moving vessel. Not that it’s forbidden, but it’s just a dumb idea because you’ll constantly be moving away from the home point, and RTH (Return To Home) will make the drone land in the ocean.
If you can marry a cow somewhere, you can fly a drone over it.