ABSTRACT
The legal regime surrounding offshore drilling is comparatively origin. Oil was first produced from an offshore structure, a pier off the coast near Santa Barbara, in 1897. The legislative framework for offshore exploration and oil and gas production in the UK sector of the continental shelf is similar in many respects to that of other countries around the North Sea. All the countries surrounding the North Sea have legislation of one kind or another relating to offshore exploration and production. Norway asserted sovereignty over the sea bed and subsoil of the submarine areas beyond the coast and up to the median line by Royal Decree on 31 May 1963. In relation to offshore activities the Continental Shelf Mining Law of 1965 provides for different kinds of licence for prospecting or producing. Most countries with offshore resources capable of development have legislation of one kind or another in line with the international convention.
