General provisions for preventing oil pollution
3 Discharge of certain oils from pipe-lines or as the result of exploration etc. in designated areas.
(1)
If any oil to which section 1 of this Act applies, or any mixture containing such oil, is discharged into any part of the sea—
(a)
from a pipe-line; or
(b)
(otherwise than from a ship) as the result of any operation for the exploration of the sea-bed and subsoil or the exploitation of their natural resources in a designated area,
then, subject to the following provisions of this Act, the owner of the pipe-line or, as the case may be, the person carrying on the operations shall be guilty of an offence unless the discharge was from a place in his occupation and he proves that it was due to the act of a person who was there without his permission (express or implied).
(2)
In this section “designated area” means an area for the time being designated by an Order made under section 1 of the M1Continental Shelf Act 1964.