Cap. 625 Art. 2Interpretation. 

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

"appropriate action" means the same as the meaning assigned to it by the Territorial Waters and Contiguous Zone Act;

"Area" means an exclusive economic zone area or an environment protection area as defined under article 2;

"baselines" means the same as the meaning assigned to it by the Continental Shelf Act;

"competent authority" means the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta, or such other body or person as the Minister may prescribe and designate as the competent authority for different purposes in terms of different provisions of this Act;

"continental shelf" means the same as the meaning assigned to it by the Continental Shelf Act;

"dumping" means:

(i) any deliberate disposal of wastes or other matter from vessels, aircraft, platforms or other man-made structures at sea;

(ii) any deliberate disposal of vessels, aircraft, platforms or other man-made structures at sea, but does not include:

(i) the disposal of wastes or any other matter incidental to, or derived from the normal operations of vessels, aircraft, platforms or other man-made structures at sea and their equipment, other than wastes or any other matter transported by or to vessels, aircraft, platforms or other man-made structures at sea, operating for the purpose of disposal of such matter or derived from the treatment of such wastes or other matter on such vessels, aircraft, platforms or structures;

(ii) placement of matter for a purpose other than the mere disposal thereof, provided that such placement is not contrary to the aims of this Act, international law and, or any other applicable law;

"environment protection area" means any area designated by the Minister by means of an order published in the Gazette, within which the jurisdiction mentioned in article 3(1)(b)(iii) is exercisable:

Provided that such area may not exceed the exclusive economic zone;

"exclusive economic zone" means the area beyond and adjacent to the territorial waters, that extends to a limit established in accordance with international law, measured from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial waters is measured; so however that where in relation to States of which their coast is opposite that of Malta it is necessary to determine a boundary, such boundary shall be determined by agreement between Malta and such other State or States or, in absence of agreement, the median line, namely a line every point of which is equidistant from the nearest points of the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial waters of Malta and such other State or States is measured:

Provided that until the agreement referred to in the preceding paragraph comes into force, any activities or licenses issued pursuant to this Act shall only apply to the area lying on the Maltese side of the median line between the coast of Malta and the coast belonging to opposite State or States:

Provided also that nothing shall preclude the Government of Malta from entering into any cooperative arrangements, such as joint development agreements, revenue sharing agreements and international unitisation agreements, with neighbouring States for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources in the exclusive economic zone: Provided further that the Government of Malta may extend the exclusive economic zone boundary beyond the median line in accordance with international law;

"exclusive economic zone area" means any area designated by the Minister under article 4, within which the sovereign rights and jurisdiction referred to in article 3 are exercisable;

"licence" means any agreement or document evidencing authorisation, consent and approval granted by the Minister in terms of this Act;

"Malta" means the same as the meaning assigned to it by article 124 of the Constitution of Malta;

"maritime enforcement officer" means the same as the meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Territorial Waters and

Contiguous Zone Act;

"Minister" means the Prime Minister of Malta and includes any other Minister, as may be designated by him from time to time for any of the purposes of this Act;

"natural resources" means both the living resources and non-living resources, including genetic resources, found within the exclusive economic zone, exclusive economic zone area or environment protection area, as well as all activities for the economic exploration and exploitation of the said exclusive economic zone or Areas, such as the production of energy from water, currents and winds;

"safety zone" means an area established by the Minister in terms of article 9(1)(d), for the purpose of ensuring the safety both of navigation and of the artificial island, installation, structure, equipment or device with respect to which such area is established and which shall not exceed a distance of five hundred (500) metres around the artificial island, installation, structure, equipment or device concerned, measured from each point of its outer edge;

"ship" has the same meaning as assigned to it by the

Merchant Shipping Act;

"territorial waters" means the same as the meaning assigned to it by article 3 of the Territorial Waters and

Contiguous Zone Act.