The Scottish trawler that has been stranded in France for a week for having fished in French waters without a license, left the port of Le Havre at the end of the afternoon bound for the UK.

The boat, which had been detained after catching more than 2 tons of scallops, left its mooring after a decision by the Rouen Court of Appeal, which authorized it "to leave Le Havre immediately without having to pay a deposit," the lawyer for the boat's captain told AFP. 

France had requested the immobilization of the trawler pending the payment of a deposit of 150,000 euros ($174,000) after it appeared the boat's license was not submitted to the European Union for approval and its crew failed to prove it was allowed to fish in French territorial waters. 

The captain of the boat, Jondy Ward, and his lawyer Mathieu Croix were in court on Wednesday for the hearing. Croix said his client was free to leave the country. 

It will come as welcome news ahead of talks between the UK and France in Paris on Thursday on how to resolve the ongoing dispute over fishing. UK Brexit Minister David Frost will meet Clement Beaune, France's Europe minister, in the French capital to try to de-escalate the situation. 

The UK is showing a "constructive" spirit in talks with France to resolve the row, which is over post-Brexit fishing licenses, according to the French government. 

France's Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said he had spoken to his UK counterpart on Tuesday evening, noting that French boats had been granted 49 more licenses on Monday. 

France had threatened to impose sanctions on British boats, including potentially barring them from landing their catch in French ports.

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But on Monday, France's President Emmanuel Macron pulled back from the possibility of new restrictions, saying that dialogue must be given a chance. 

On Wednesday, Beaune said he had spoken to the Vice-President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic about the dispute. 

Beaune tweeted that France would use "Unity, solidarity and firmness, to defend our agreements, our interests and our fishermen." 

He said dialogue between the EU and the UK has been "intensifying" this week.