Part III Submarine pipelines

21 Enforcement.

1

Any person who—

a

contravenes any provision of section 14(1); or

b

contravenes any provision of a notice under F1section 16, 17 or 17F(9) served on him in his capacity as the owner of the pipeline to which the notice relates in a case where no authorisation for the use of the pipeline is required by section 14(1); or

c

makes a statement which he knows is false in a material particular, or recklessly makes a statement which is false in a material particular, for the purpose of inducing the F2OGA—

i

to issue any authorisation; or

ii

to agree under section 18(1)(b) that an authorisation is to cease to be in force; or

iii

to specify a period under section 18(3)(b); or

iv

not to serve a notice under section 18(6),

shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or on conviction on indictment to a fine.

2

If a person executes any works in contravention of section 14(1) the F3OGA may at any time serve on him a notice requiring him to remove such of the works as are specified in the notice as works to be removed.

3

The recipient of a notice under subsection (2) shall comply with the notice within the period specified in the notice; and if he fails to do so the F4OGA may comply with the notice on his behalf and recover from him any expenses reasonably incurred in doing so.

4

If a person executes any works in contravention of section 14(1) and the F5OGA considers that it is urgently necessary to do such things in relation to the works as F6it could have required that person to do by a notice under subsection (2), the F5OGA may do those things and recover from that person any expenses reasonably incurred in doing so.

5

The fact that any thing is done or omitted—

a

by the recipient of a notice under subsection (2) for the purpose of complying with the notice; or

b

by the F7OGA under subsection (3) or (4),

shall not relieve him from liability for any damage which is attributable to the act or omission and for which he would have been liable had the act or omission not been authorised by this section; but the F7OGA shall be entitled to recover from the person who executed the works in question the amount of any damages which, in consequence of the works, are paid by the F7OGA by virtue of this subsection.