OpenLegislation

Continental Shelf Act 1964

1964 c. 29 · Enacted 15 April 1964 · Extends to United Kingdom

Up to date with all changes known to legislation.gov.uk, revised to 25 November 2021.

An Act to make provision as to the exploration and exploitation of the continental shelf; to enable effect to be given to certain provisions of the Convention on the High Seas done in Geneva on 29th April 1958; and for matters connected with those purposes.

[15th April 1964]I1

Annotations to the whole text

Commencement

I1

Act wholly in force at Royal Assent.

Contents

  1. 1Exploration and exploitation of continental shelf.
  2. 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  3. 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  4. 4Safety of navigation.
  5. 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  6. 6Wireless telegraphy. Repealed
  7. 7Radioactive substances.
  8. 8Submarine cables and pipe-lines.
  9. 9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  10. 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  11. 11Prosecution of offences, etc.
  12. 11AInterpretation.
  13. 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  14. 13Short title.

1Exploration and exploitation of continental shelf.

(1)

Any rights exercisable by the United Kingdom outside territorial waters with respect to the sea bed and subsoil and their natural resources, except so far as they are exercisable in relation to coal, are hereby vested in Her Majesty.

F1(2)

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F2(3)

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F3(4)

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F4(5)

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(6)

The general duty of F5the Secretary of State of securing the effective and co-ordinated development of such resources in Great Britain as are mentioned in section 1(1) of the M1Ministry of Fuel and Power Act 1945 shall extend to any such resources outside Great Britain with respect to which the said rights are exercisable.

(7)

Her Majesty may from time to time by Order in Council designate any area as an area within which the rights mentioned in subsection (1) of this section are exercisable, and any area so designated is in this Act referred to as a designated area F6; and the power to make Orders under this subsection shall include power to F7revoke, amend or re-enact Orders.

(8)

In this section “coal” has the same meaning as in the M2Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 F8....

2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

4Safety of navigation.

(1)

Part II of the M1Coast Protection Act 1949 (which requires the consent of F1the Board of Trade to the carrying out of certain works on the sea shore if obstruction or danger to navigation is likely to result) except section 34(1)(b) (which restricts the deposit of materials) shall apply in relation to any part of the sea bed in a designated area as it applies in relation to the sea shore; and section 46 of that Act (local inquiries) shall extend to any matter arising under this section.

(2)

Any person guilty of an offence under the said Part II as applied by this section shall be liable, on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, and on conviction on indictment to a fine.

5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

6Wireless telegraphy.F1

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7Radioactive substances.E1 E+W

An Order in Council under F1section 11 of the Petroleum Act 1998 may make provision for treating F2... F3for the purposes of F4the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/1154), any installation in an area or part with respect to which provision is made under that section and any waters within five hundred metres of such an installation as if they were situated in such part of the United Kingdom as may be specified in the Order, and for modifying the provisions F5... F6those Regulations in their application to such an installation or waters.

8Submarine cables and pipe-lines.

C1(1)

Section 3 (punishment for damaging cables) of the M1Submarine Telegraph Act 1885 and Article IV and paragraph 1 of Article VII (liability to pay compensation for damage to cables and for loss of gear sacrificed to avoid such damage) of the Convention set out in the Schedule to that Act (which by virtue of section 2 thereof has the force of law) shall apply in relation to all submarine cables under the high seas (and not only to those to which that Convention applies) and to pipe-lines under the high seas; and the said section 3 shall be construed as referring to telephonic as well as telegraphic communication, and, in relation to F1... power cables and to pipe-lines, as if the words from “in such manner” to the end of subsection (1) were omitted.

F2(1A)

It is hereby declared that the reference in subsection (1) of this section to F3submarine cables and pipe-lines under the high seas includes a reference to submarine cables and pipe-lines under the territorial sea adjacent to the United Kingdom or under waters in an area designated under F4section 41(3) of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (exclusive economic zone).

(2)

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9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

11Prosecution of offences, etc.

(1)

Proceedings for any offence F1under another Act as applied by or under this Act may be taken, and the offence may for all incidental purposes be treated as having been committed, in any place in the United Kingdom.

(2)

Where a body corporate is guilty of such an offence and the offence is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or any person who was purporting to act in any such capacity he, as well as the body corporate, shall be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

In this subsection, “director” in relation to a body corporate established for the purpose of carrying on under national ownership any industry or part of an industry or undertaking, being a body corporate whose affairs are managed by its members, means a member of that body corporate.

(3)

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11AInterpretation.F1

In this Act “installation” includes any floating structure or device maintained on a station by whatever means.

12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F1

13Short title.

This Act may be cited as the Continental Shelf Act 1964.