Antarctic Act 1994

31 Interpretation. U.K.

(1) In this Act—

• [F1 “British expedition” has the meaning given by section 3; ]

• “commander”, in relation to an aircraft, means the member of the flight crew designated as commander by the operator of the aircraft, or if there is no such person, the person who is for the time being the pilot in command of the aircraft;

• “contravenes” includes fails to comply with (and “contravention” has a corresponding meaning);

• “expedition” includes any tour or other journey, whatever its purpose, made by one or more persons;

• “land” includes any ice-shelf;

• “master”, in relation to a vessel, includes any person for the time being in charge of the vessel (other than a pilot);

• “native bird” means a bird of any species indigenous to Antarctica F2 ... (and includes an egg of such a bird);

• “native invertebrate” means a terrestrial [F3 , marine] or freshwater invertebrate indigenous to Antarctica (at any stage of its life cycle);

• “native mammal” means a mammal of any species indigenous to Antarctica F2 ...;

• “native plant” means any terrestrial [F4 , marine] or freshwater vegetation, including bryophytes, lichens, fungi and algae, indigenous to Antarctica, and includes such vegetation at any stage of its life cycle (including seeds and other propagules of such vegetation);

• [F5 “non-national” means an individual who is not a United Kingdom national; ]

• “operator”, in relation to a vessel or aircraft, means the person for the time being having the management of that vessel or aircraft;

• “regulations” means regulations made by the Secretary of State;

• “station” includes any building or group of buildings;

• “United Kingdom national” means—

  (a)

  a British citizen, a British Dependent Territories citizen, a British National (Overseas) or a British Overseas citizen;

  (b)

  a British subject under the M1 British Nationality Act 1981;

  (c)

  a British protected person within the meaning of that Act;

  (d)

  a Scottish partnership;

  (e)

  a body incorporated under the law of any part of the United Kingdom;

• “vessel” includes a hovercraft.

[F6 (1A) In this Act, references to a species “indigenous to Antarctica” include a species occurring in Antarctica through natural migration.]

(2) For the purposes of this Act the Antarctic Convergence shall be taken to be a line running along parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude that joins the following points—

• 50° South latitude 0°;

• 50° South latitude 30° East longitude;

• 45° South latitude 30° East longitude;

• 45° South latitude 80° East longitude;

• 55° South latitude 80° East longitude;

• 55° South latitude 150° East longitude;

• 60° South latitude 150° East longitude;

• 60° South latitude 50° West longitude;

• 50° South latitude 50° West longitude; and

• 50° South latitude 0°.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 31(1) inserted (26.5.2013) by Antarctic Act 2013 (c. 15), ss. 14(7), 18(4)(a)

F2 Words in s. 31(1) omitted (26.5.2013) by virtue of Antarctic Act 2013 (c. 15), ss. 16(9)(a), 18(4)(a)

F3 Word in s. 31(1) inserted (26.5.2013) by Antarctic Act 2013 (c. 15), ss. 16(9)(b), 18(4)(a)

F4 Word in s. 31(1) inserted (26.5.2013) by Antarctic Act 2013 (c. 15), ss. 16(9)(c), 18(4)(a)

F5 Words in s. 31(1) inserted (26.5.2013) by Antarctic Act 2013 (c. 15), ss. 14(5), 18(4)(a)

F6 S. 31(1A) inserted (26.5.2013) by Antarctic Act 2013 (c. 15), ss. 16(10), 18(4)(a)

Marginal Citations

M1 1981 c. 61.