#2026/635Offshore Installations Safety Zones Order 2026
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
This Order creates 500-metre safety zones around three offshore subsea installations in UK-regulated waters: Global Producer III, Solan, and Wenlock. Vessels and offshore operators must treat these areas as restricted zones to reduce collision and safety risks around oil and gas infrastructure. It also removes older safety zone listings for Thames Bure Wellhead, Thames Yare Wellhead, and the Victoria Subsea Production Well. For operators, marine contractors, and vessel owners, the practical action is to update navigation, route planning, and offshore safety procedures before the Order takes effect 21 days after it was made.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.
Key Changes
- Creates 500-metre safety zones around the Global Producer III, Solan, and Wenlock offshore subsea installations.
- Removes the safety zone entries for Thames Bure Wellhead and Thames Yare Wellhead from the 1997 Order.
- Removes the safety zone entry for the Victoria Subsea Production Well from the 2007 Order.
Obligations
What this law requires
Do not navigate vessels within the 500-metre safety zone around Global Producer III at 58° 21.17’N, 0° 51.76’E unless an applicable legal exception or authorization applies.
Do not navigate vessels within the 500-metre safety zone around Solan at 60° 03.70’N, 03° 58.27’W unless an applicable legal exception or authorization applies.
Do not navigate vessels within the 500-metre safety zone around Wenlock at 53° 35.17’N, 02° 17.38’E unless an applicable legal exception or authorization applies.
Update offshore navigation, route-planning, and safety procedures to reflect the new 500-metre safety zones for Global Producer III, Solan, and Wenlock before the Order comes into force.
Remove Thames Bure Wellhead, Thames Yare Wellhead, and Victoria Subsea Production Well from internal safety-zone listings, navigation controls, and route-planning references where those lists track UK statutory safety zones.