Maritime Zones (Amendment) Act 2015 (No. 6 of 2015)

2015 Maritime Zones Amendment No. 6 SAMOA Arrangement of Provisions 1. Short title and commencement 2. Principal Act 3. Interpretation 4. Low-water mark, official charts and publicity 5. Suspension of innocent passage 6. The contiguous zone 7. Continental Shelf 8. Regulations 2015, No. 6 AN ACT to amend the Maritime Zones Act 1999. [2 nd February 2015] BE IT ENACTED by the Legislative Assembly of Samoa in Parliament assembled as follows: 1. Short title and commencement-(1) This Act may be cited as the Maritime Zones Amendment Act 2015. (2) This Act commences on the date it is assented to by the Head of State. 2. Principal Act - In this Act, “Principal Act” means the Maritime Zones Act 1999. 3. Interpretation - In section 2(1) of the Principal Act, for the definition of: (a) “high-water mark” substitute: 2 Maritime Zones Amendment 2015, No. 6 ““high-water mark” means the line of mean high water and “high tide” shall have the corresponding meaning;”; and (b) low water line; and (c) “low-water mark” substitute: ““low-water mark” means the lowest astronomical tide and “low-water line” shall have the corresponding meaning;”. 4. Low-water mark, official charts and publicity-(1) Section 10(1) of the Principal Act is repealed. (2) Section 10 of the Principal Act is amended by: (a) substituting the words “zone and exclusive economic zones” with “zone, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf” in subsection (3); and (b) substituting the words “sea and exclusive economic zone” with “sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf”. 5. Suspension of innocent passage - In section 13 of the Principal Act, for the words “order and good government” substitute “good order and security”. 6. The contiguous zone - For section 18 of the Principal Act substitute: “18. The contiguous zone-(1) The contiguous zone of Samoa comprises those areas of the sea that are beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea, having as their outer limits a line measured seaward from the outer limits of the territorial sea described in section 4, every point of which is distant 24 nautical miles from the nearest point of the baseline. (2) Within the contiguous zone, the Government of Samoa may exercise any powers and take any measures necessary to: (a) prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws and regulations within Samoa or the territorial sea; and (b) punish infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws and regulations committed within Samoa or the territorial sea.”. 2015, No. 6 Maritime Zones Amendment 3 7. Continental Shelf - For section 24 of the Principal Act substitute: “24. Continental Shelf - The continental shelf of Samoa comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the territorial sea is measured.”. 8. Regulations - In section 27(d) of the Principal Act, for the words “the fishery” substitute “exclusive economic zone”. The Maritime Zones Amendment Act 2015 is administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Printed by the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, by authority of the Legislative Assembly.