Exclusive economic zone of the United Kingdom
Maritime boundary
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The United Kingdom's exclusive economic zone is the fifth largest in the world at 6,805,586 km2 (2,627,651 mi2).[2] It comprises the exclusive economic zones surrounding the United Kingdom,[3] the Crown Dependencies, and the British Overseas Territories. The figure does not include the EEZ of the British Antarctic Territory.
The UK was late to establish an EEZ, relying on overlapping maritime zones for fisheries, pollution control, and energy matters. The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 gave the powers to establish an EEZ, with the zone defined by the Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013 which came into force on 31 March 2014.[4][5]
The United Kingdom has not claimed an EEZ extending from Gibraltar or Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
Geography
The United Kingdom's EEZ in Europe is 773,676 km2 (298,718 mi2). When including all crown dependencies and overseas territories it is 6,805,586 km2 (2,627,651 mi2).[2]
| Territory | km2 | sq mi | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 773,676 | 298,718 | includes Rockall and the Isle of Man |
| Anguilla | 92,178 | 35,590 | |
| Ascension Island† | 441,658 | 170,525 | |
| Bermuda | 450,370 | 173,890 | |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | 638,568 | 246,552 | disputed with Mauritius |
| British Virgin Islands | 80,117 | 30,933 | |
| Cayman Islands | 119,137 | 45,999 | |
| Channel Islands | 11,658 | 4,501 | |
| Falkland Islands | 550,872 | 212,693 | disputed with Argentina |
| Gibraltar | 426 | 164 | disputed with Spain |
| Montserrat | 7,582 | 2,927 | |
| Pitcairn Island | 836,108 | 322,823 | |
| Saint Helena† | 444,916 | 171,783 | |
| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | 1,449,532 | 559,667 | disputed with Argentina |
| Tristan da Cunha archipelago† | 754,720 | 291,400 | |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 154,068 | 59,486 | |
| Total | 6,805,586 | 2,627,651 |
†Part of the overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, which together has an EEZ of 1,641,294 square km.
Legislation
Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013
| Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013 | |
|---|---|
| Statutory Instrument | |
.svg) | |
| Citation | SI 2013/3161 |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Made | 11 December 2013 |
| Laid before Parliament | 18 December 2013 |
| Commencement | 31 March 2014 |
| Other legislation | |
| Made under | |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013 (SI 2013/3161) is an order in Council of the Government of the United Kingdom, which defines the boundaries of the exclusive economic zone of the United Kingdom.
The order asserts a territorial sea of up to 200 nautical miles away from the coast of Great Britain and from the coast of Northern Ireland.[6]
Before the order, the UK managed a de facto EEZ: the combination of the renewable energy zone, the marine pollution prevention zone and marine research. The UK negotiated individual borders of the EEZ with specific countries, bilaterally.[6] This was standardised and rationalised by the Order through explicit boundaries, uniform across all purposes.[6]
The order implements the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).[7]
The order is made under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.[6]
The boundaries defined in the Order has been used to analyse maritime and coastal energy projections, varying from renewable energy, blue hydrogen and petroleum.[8][9] The boundaries defined in the Order have been used to analyse disruption at UK ports.[10]
In 2014, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office published a map showing the differences between the boundaries described by the Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013 and the boundaries described by the Continental Shelf (Designation of Areas) Order 2013.[11]
Disputes
- The exclusive economic zones associated with the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are disputed by Argentina.
- The EEZ of the Chagos Archipelago, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, is disputed by Mauritius, which considers the archipelago as a part of its territory.
- Gibraltar is disputed by Spain.
- Since the approval of Brexit in 2020 there have been disputes with the European Union about fishing rights in UK's territorial waters.
- The area around the uninhabited island Rockall is also disputed.