The Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order 2020

Article 2 of this Order establishes, under section 22 of the Petroleum Act 1987, safety zones having a radius of 500 metres from the specified point around the 18 installations (which are subsea installations) specified in the Schedule to this Order stationed, or to be stationed, in waters to which section 21(7) of that Act applies (these include territorial waters and waters in areas designated under section 1(7) of the Continental Shelf Act 1964 (c. 29)).

An automatic safety zone is currently established around the installations set out in the table below. It is intended that these installations will be dismantled by 31 December 2025. In accordance with section 21(3) of the Petroleum Act 1987, an automatic safety zone will cease to apply to an installation which does not project above the sea at any state of the tide or to which an order made under section 22 of that Act applies. In order to maintain a safety zone around the installations in the table below as they are dismantled and when they do not project above the sea level at any state of the tide, the automatic safety zones will be replaced and replicated by the safety zones made by this order.

Section 23(1) of the Petroleum Act 1987 prohibits vessels, which for this purpose include hovercraft, submersible apparatus and installations in transit, from entering or remaining in a safety zone except with the consent of the Health and Safety Executive or in accordance with regulations made under section 23(1) of the 1987 Act (currently regulation 21H of the Offshore Installations and Pipeline Works (Management and Administration) Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995/738), inserted by paragraph 14 of Schedule 13 to S.I. 2015/398).

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-hydrographic-office) publishes nautical charts covering the area in which installations are located, which include information on the existence and, where the scale allows, the location of safety zones. Mariners are advised to keep paper charts up-to-date by using appropriate Notices to Mariners or, where electronic charts are used, to subscribe to an appropriate updating service. Vessels meeting the requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea 1974 will carry nautical charts and nautical publications (such as Notices to Mariners) to plan and display the ship’s route for the intended voyage and to plot and monitor positions throughout the voyage. This may be compulsory for some vessels, for example under the Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/1473). The UKHO also broadcasts Radio Navigational Warnings in relation to safety zones where updates to charts have yet to take effect and where installations are in transit.

Maritime safety information, which includes information on safety zones, is issued via the appropriate International Maritime Organisation, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System broadcast systems as defined by the World-Wide Navigational Warning Service.

It is estimated that the installations in Part 2 of the Schedule will arrive at their stations at the approximate time set opposite their name in the table below:

Article 3 amends the coordinates for the Cook water injection well in Part 2 of the Schedule to the Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order 2019.

Article 4 amends the block numbers for Well (P40) (SM7A) and Well (P41) (SM7C), and the coordinates for Vorlich North Wellhead in the Schedule to the Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order (No. 2) 2019.