The South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (Territorial Sea) Order 1989

• Citation: S.I. 1989/1995
• Sections: 4

Section 1

This Order may be cited as the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (Territorial Sea) Order 1989 and shall come into force on 1st January 1990.

Section 2

The boundaries of the Territories of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands are hereby extended to include, as territorial sea, that part of the sea which is situated within 12 nautical miles measured from the baselines as established by article 3 of this Order, together with the seabed of the territorial sea and its subsoil.

Section 3

(1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (2) to (4) of this article, the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea adjacent to South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands is measured shall be the low-water line along the coast of all islands and territories comprised in South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands by virtue of the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Order 1985 .

(2) For the purposes of this article a low-tide elevation which lies wholly or partly within the breadth of sea which would be territorial sea if all low-tide elevations were disregarded for the purpose of the measurement of the breadth thereof and if paragraphs (3) and (4) of this article were omitted shall be treated as an island.

(3) The baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured around the island of South Georgia and the islands in its immediate vicinity shall consist of the series of loxodromes drawn so as to join successively, in the order in which they are there set out, the points identified by the co-ordinates of latitude and longitude in the first column of the Schedule to this Order, each being a point situate on the low-water line on or adjacent to the feature named in the second column of that Schedule opposite to the co-ordinates of latitude and longitude of the point in the first column:

Provided that the baseline between points 19 and 20 in that Schedule shall be the low water line as laid down in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this article.

(4) The provisions of paragraph (3) of this article shall be without prejudice to the operation of paragraph (2) of this article in relation to any island or low-tide elevation which for the purposes of that paragraph is treated as if it were an island, being an island or low-tide elevation which lies to seaward of the baseline specified in paragraph (3) of this article.

Section 4

In this Order –

(a) “island” means a naturally formed area of land surrounded by water which is above water at mean high-water spring tides;

(b) “low-tide elevation” means a naturally formed area of drying land surrounded by water which is below water at mean high-water spring tides; and

(c) “nautical miles” means international nautical miles of 1,852 metres.