Offences_at_Sea_Act_1799
Offences at Sea Act 1799
United Kingdom legislation
The Offences at Sea Act 1799 (39 Geo. 3. c. 37) is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. It is still in force. It extended the jurisdiction of British courts to crimes committed by British subjects on the high seas. It does not apply to foreign citizens. (However crimes committed by foreigners in British territorial waters, or on board British ships on the high seas, can be prosecuted in British courts.) Jurisdiction over piracy on the high seas already existed before 1799, whether committed by British subjects or not.[citation needed]
This Act appears to determine the sentence for piracy iure gentium in cases where section 2 of the Piracy Act 1837 does not apply.[2]