Continental Shelf (CS) (Designation of Areas) Order 2013

What is it: 

The UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) comprises areas of the sea bed and subsoil beyond the territorial sea over which the UK exercises sovereign rights of exploration and exploitation of natural resources.

The Continental Shelf (Designation of Areas) Order 2013 (made 31 March 2014)  delineates the shelf and replaced two previous Orders, dating to 2000 and 2001 that had been made under powers in The Continental Shelf Act 1964.

See the legend tab on MS Maps NMPi layers for the various components of the limit; part of the limit is the Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundary.

Links to Scotland's Marine Atlas: 
Chapter 1: Introduction
Data originators: 
United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO)
This information page is part of the theme: 
Limits and Boundaries
Various maritime limits around Scotland © Marine Scotland
More Information: 

Under the Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013, an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) (which may extend to 200 nautical miles from coastal baselines) was declared around the United Kingdom on 31 March 2014. At the same time the areas designated under the 1964 Act were made the same as those which form part of the EEZ, together with any areas of continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the United Kingdom's baselines within which the United Kingdom may exercise such rights.

This page was last modified on : 
Friday, June 14, 2019 - 09:36

Links and Resources

Map Type Click title for metadata and licence informationsort descending Date of data View Map
Map Layers (NMPi) Continental Shelf (CS) Limits adjacent to Scotland - Continental Shelf (CS) (Designation of Areas) Order 2013 2013-03-01 Access this map on NMPi
Type Link Titlesort descending External Link
Web link UKHO INSPIRE portal and MEDIN Bathymetry Data Archive Centre www.gov.uk
Data Portals UKHO INSPIRE portal and MEDIN Bathymetry Data Archive Centre (Geospatial viewer and download) data.admiralty.co.uk
Type Title External link
Web link UNCLOS UK www.unclosuk.org
Legislation Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order 1999 www.legislation.gov.uk
Web link UK Hydrographic Office UK Exclusive Economic Zone map data.admiralty.co.uk
Web link UK Hydrographic Office - Continental Shelf data.admiralty.co.uk
Legislation The Continental Shelf Act 1964 www.legislation.gov.uk
Legislation The Continental Shelf (Designation of Areas) Order 2013 www.legislation.gov.uk
Legislation The Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013 www.legislation.gov.uk