The Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order 2026
The Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order 2026 establishes 500-metre safety zones around three specified offshore installations—Global Producer III, Solan, and Wenlock, using coordinates based on the World Geodetic System 1984, specifically to maintain protection during their ongoing dismantlement phases.
This Order is made by the Secretary of State under the Petroleum Act 1987 and concurrently amends previous orders by removing safety zones related to the Thames Bure Wellhead, Thames Yare Wellhead, and the Victoria Subsea Production Well.
Arguments For
Provides crucial maritime safety by establishing a defined 500-metre exclusion zone around active or decommissioning offshore installations, preventing collisions and accidental interference.
Replicates existing 'automatic' safety zones around installations undergoing complex dismantlement (Global Producer III, Solan, Wenlock) to ensure continuous protection during these high-risk phases.
Ensures compliance with the Petroleum Act 1987 by exercising the Secretary of State's conferred powers to maintain safety standards in UK waters.
Removes outdated safety zones (Thames Bure Wellhead, Thames Yare Wellhead, and Victoria Subsea Production Well) where the associated installations are no longer present or require protection under this mechanism.
Arguments Against
The establishment of new zones imposes restrictions on navigation (Article 2 and Explanatory Note, Section 23), potentially increasing transit times or operating costs for mariners and the offshore industry.
The document does not produce a full impact assessment, suggesting minimal anticipated impact, which might overlook cumulative effects on busy shipping lanes or smaller vessel operations near these zones.
Reliance on external documentation (WGS 84 definitions, UKHO charts, IMO systems) for detailed maritime operational compliance places a burden on vessel operators to constantly update navigation data.
Although zones are removed (Articles 3 and 4), the continued necessity for manufactured safety zones around dismantling infrastructure might suggest ongoing hazards or liabilities associated with retired assets.
STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
2026 No. 635 OFFSHORE INSTALLATIONS
The Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order 2026
Made - - - - at 11.20 a.m. on 15th June 2026
Coming into force in accordance with article 1(2)
The Secretary of State makes this Order-
- (a) in exercise of the powers conferred by section 22 of the Petroleum Act 1987( 1 ); and
- (b) for the purpose of giving effect to proposals submitted by the Health and Safety Executive under section 24(2A)( 2 ) of that Act.
This section introduces The Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order 2026, registered as Statutory Instrument 2026 No. 635.
The Order was formally made by the Secretary of State on June 15, 2026, at 11:20 a.m. and specifies that its authority stems from powers granted under Section 22 of the Petroleum Act 1987 and implements proposals received from the Health and Safety Executive under Section 24(2A) of the same Act.
Citation and commencement
- -(1) This Order may be cited as the Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order 2026.
- (2) This Order comes into force 21 days after the day on which it is made.
Article 1 establishes the formal title of the legislation as the Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order 2026.
The Order will legally become active on the date that is 21 days following the date it was made.
Establishment of safety zones
- A safety zone is established around each installation specified in column 1 of the table in the Schedule (being an installation stationed in waters to which subsection (7) of section 21 of the Petroleum Act 1987 applies) having a radius of five hundred metres, as respects that installation, from the point which has the co-ordinates of latitude and longitude according to the World Geodetic System 1984( 3 ) specified in columns 2 and 3 of the table in the Schedule.
Article 2 officially creates a 500-metre radius safety zone around every offshore installation listed in the accompanying Schedule.
These installations must be located in waters covered by Section 21(7) of the Petroleum Act 1987.
The exact location of the centre point for each zone is defined using precise latitude and longitude coordinates provided in the Schedule, referencing the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) standard.
Amendment of the Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order 1997
- -(1) The Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order 1997( 4 ) is amended as follows.
- (2) In Schedule 1 (safety zones), omit-
( 1 ) 1987 c. 12.
( 2 ) Section 24(2A) was inserted by S.I. 1993/1823 and amended by S.I. 2008/960.
( 3 ) The World Geodetic System 1984 ('WGS 84') defines a reference frame for the Earth, for use in geodesy and navigation. It was developed by the United States' National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and is maintained by it. WGS 84 is defined at paragraph 2.1 of the NGA Standardization Document, Department of Defense, World Geodetic System 1984 (updated 8 July 2014) (https://nsgreg.nga.mil/doc/view?i=4085). Hard copies are available upon request from the offices of the Health and Safety Executive, Aberdeen International Business Park (AIBP), Building 2, Level 1, Dyce Drive, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 0BR.
( 4 ) S.I. 1997/735.
Status: This is the original version (as it was originally made). This
- (a) the entry relating to 'Thames Bure Wellhead';
- (b) the entry relating to 'Thames Yare Wellhead'.
Article 3 amends the previous Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) Order 1997.
Specifically, it removes two existing safety zone entries from Schedule 1 of that previous Order.
These removals concern the entries designated as 'Thames Bure Wellhead' and 'Thames Yare Wellhead'.
The footnotes provide legal context, citing the Petroleum Act 1987, details on WGS 84, and the original 1997 Order.
Amendment of the Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) (No. 7) Order 2007
- -(1) The Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) (No. 7) Order 2007( 5 ) is amended as follows.
- (2) In the Schedule (safety zones), omit the entry relating to 'Victoria Subsea Production Well (49/17-14), Block 49/17, Victoria Field'.
Article 4 amends the Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) (No. 7) Order 2007.
It directs the removal of one specific entry from the Schedule of that Order.
This removed entry relates to the safety zone established for the 'Victoria Subsea Production Well (49/17-14), Block 49/17, Victoria Field'.
Signed by the authority of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at 11.20 a.m. on 15th June 2026
Stephen Timms Minister of State Department for Work and Pensions
This certifies the enactment details, showing the Order was formally signed by Stephen Timms, Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions, under the authority of the Secretary of State, on June 15, 2026.
Schedule
INSTALLATIONS
| (1) Name or other designation | (2) Latitude | (3) Longitude | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|-----------------| | Global Producer III, Donan, Balloch and Lochranza Field, Block 015/20a and 015/20b 58° 21.17'N | 0° 51.76'E | | | Solan, Solan Field, Block 205/26a 60° 03.70'N | 03° 58.27'W | | | Wenlock, Wenlock Field, Block 49/12a 53° 35.17'N | 02° 17.38'E | |
The Schedule lists the three specific offshore installations for which new safety zones are being created, detailing their names, associated fields/blocks, and their exact geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) based on the WGS 84 system.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order)
Article 2 of this Order establishes, under section 22 of the Petroleum Act 1987 (c. 12) ('the Act'), safety zones having a radius of 500 metres from the specified point around the three installations (which are subsea installations) specified in the Schedule to this Order stationed in waters to which section 21(7) of the 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 was established around the installation known as Global Producer III. It is intended that this installation will be removed by the end of 2027. In order to maintain a safety zone around this installation as dismantlement is completed, the automatic safety zone will be replicated by the safety zone established by this Order.
An automatic safety zone was established around the installation known as Solan. It is intended that this installation will be removed by the end of 2029. In order to maintain a safety zone around this installation as dismantlement is completed, the automatic safety zone will be replicated by the safety zone established by this Order.
An automatic safety zone was established around the installation known as Wenlock. That installation is being dismantled. In order to maintain a safety zone around this installation as dismantlement is completed, the automatic safety zone will be replicated by the safety zone established by this Order.
Section 23(1) of the Act prohibits vessels, which for these purposes include hovercraft, submersible apparatus (as defined in section 88(4) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 (c. 21)) 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 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) 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 (UKHO, Admiralty Way, Taunton, Somerset TA1 2DN,
Article 2
Status: This is the original version (as it was originally made). This item of legislation is currently only available in its original format.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-hydrographic-office). 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 2020 (S.I. 2020/673). 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.
Articles 3 and 4 remove three safety zones established under previous Orders.
A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.
The Explanatory Note confirms that Article 2 creates 500-metre safety zones around the three specified subsea installations pursuant to the Petroleum Act 1987.
The primary reason for establishing these zones is to replicate pre-existing 'automatic' safety zones around installations like Global Producer III, Solan, and Wenlock while they undergo dismantling, which is expected to conclude by 2027 or 2029.
Section 23(1) of the Act prohibits vessels, hovercraft, and transit installations from entering these zones without HSE consent or specific regulation compliance.
It advises mariners to consult UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) charts and updates for the presence of these zones, noting that maritime safety information is also broadcast via international warning systems.
Finally, it notes that Articles 3 and 4 remove three previous safety zones and states that a full impact assessment was not required due to minimal foreseen impacts.
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