Continental Shelf Act 1964

1964 CHAPTER 29

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]

Commencement Information

I1 Act wholly in force at Royal Assent.

1 Exploration and exploitation of continental shelf. U.K.

(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.

(2) In relation to any coal with respect to which those rights are exercisable the M1 Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 shall apply as it applies in relation to coal in Great Britain, but with the modification that the [F1 British Coal Corporation] shall not engage in any operations for the purpose of working or getting the coal without the consent of [F2 the Secretary of State], which may be given on such terms and subject to such conditions as he thinks fit.

(3) In relation to any petroleum with respect to which those rights are exercisable sections 2 and 6 of the M2 Petroleum (Production) Act 1934 (which relate to the granting of licences to search and bore for, and get, petroleum) shall apply as they apply in relation to petroleum in Great Britain, and section 3 of that Act (which enables persons holding licences under that Act to acquire ancillary rights) and section 5 of that Act (which makes provision as to receipts and expenditure under that Act) shall have effect as if this subsection were part of that Act.

F3 (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F4

(6) The general duty of [F2 the 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 M3 Ministry 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 [F5 ; and the power to make Orders under this subsection shall include power to revoke Orders for the purpose of consolidating them.]

(8) In this section “coal” has the same meaning as in the M4 Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 and “petroleum” has the same meaning as in the Petroleum (Production) Act 1934.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words substituted by Coal Industry Act 1987 (c. 3, SIF 86), s. 1(1)(2), Sch. 1 para. 10

F2 Words substituted by virtue of S.I. 1969/1498, arts. 2(1), 5(6) and 1970/1537, arts. 2(2), 7(4).

F3 S. 1(4) repealed (E.W.S.)(30.11.1993) by Offshore Safety Act 1992 (c. 15), ss. 3(1)(a), 7(2), Sch.2; S.I. 1993/2406, art.2

F4 S. 2(5) repealed by Petroleum Act 1987 (c. 12, SIF 86), ss. 20, 30, Sch. 3

F5 Words inserted by Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c. 23, SIF 86), s. 37, Sch. 3 para. 1

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 1(2) saved by Territorial Sea Act 1987 (c. 49, SIF 29:1), s. 2( 3)

Marginal Citations

M1 1946 c. 59.

M2 1934 c. 36.

M3 1945 c. 19.

M4 1946 c. 49.

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F6 U.K.

Textual Amendments

F6 S. 2 repealed and superseded by Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c. 23, SIF 86), s. 21(11), Sch. 4

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F7 U.K.

Textual Amendments

F7 S. 3 repealed and superseded by Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c. 23, SIF 86), s. 22(8), Sch. 4

4 Safety of navigation. U.K.

(1) Part II of the M5 Coast Protection Act 1949 (which requires the consent of [F8 the 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.

Textual Amendments

F8 Words substituted by virtue of S.I. 1965/145, arts 2, 3(2), Sch. 1

Marginal Citations

M5 1949 c. 74.

5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F9 U.K.

Textual Amendments

F9 S. 5 repealed by Prevention of Oil Pollution Act 1971 (c. 60), Sch.

6 Wireless telegraphy. U.K.

An Order in Council under [F10 section 23 of the Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982] may make provision for treating for the purposes of the M6 Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 and any regulations made thereunder any installation in [F11 waters to which that section applies and] 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.

Textual Amendments

F10 Words substituted by Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c. 23, SIF 86), s. 37, Sch. 3 para. 2

F11 Words substituted by Telecommunications Act 1984 (c. 12, SIF 96), s. 107(2)

Marginal Citations

M6 1949 c. 54.

7 Radioactive substances. U.K.

An Order in Council under [F12 section 23 of the Oil and Gas Enterprise Act 1982] may make provision for treating for the purposes of the [F13 Radioactive Substances Act 1993] and any orders and regulations made thereunder 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 of that Act in their application to such an installation or waters.

Textual Amendments

F12 Words substituted by Oil and Gas Enterprise Act 1982 (c. 23, SIF 86), s. 37, Sch. 3 para. 2

F13 Words in s. 7 substituted (27.8.1993) by 1993 c. 12, ss. 49(1), 51(2), Sch. 4 para.1

8 Submarine cables and pipe-lines. U.K.

(1) Section 3 (punishment for damaging cables) of the M7 Submarine 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 high-voltage power cables and to pipe-lines, as if the words from “in such manner” to the end of subsection (1) were omitted.

(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F14

Textual Amendments

F14 S. 8(2) repealed by Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1974 (c. 22), Sch. Pt XI

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C2 S. 8(1) explained by Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975 (c. 74), s. 45(1)

Marginal Citations

M7 1885 c. 49.

9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F15 U.K.

Textual Amendments

F15 S. 9 repealed by Energy Act 1976 (c. 76), s. 22, Sch. 4 Pt. I

10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F16 U.K.

Textual Amendments

F16 S. 10 repealed by Statute Law Revision (Consequential Repeals) Act 1965 (c. 55)

11 Prosecution of offences, etc. U.K.

(1) Proceedings for any offence [F17 under 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) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F18

Textual Amendments

F17 Words substituted by Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c. 23, SIF 96), s. 37, Sch. 3 para. 3

F18 S. 11(3) repealed by Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c. 23, SIF 86), s. 37, Sch. 4

[F19 11A Interpretation. U.K.

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

Textual Amendments

F19 S. 11A inserted by Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c. 23, SIF 86), s. 37, Sch. 3 para. 4

12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F20 U.K.

Textual Amendments

F20 S. 12 repealed by Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 (c. 36), Sch. 6 Pt. I

13 Short title. U.K.

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