The Ministry of Defence has made the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 (Designation of Vessels and Controlled Sites) Order 2026 (SI 2026/286). Signed on 9 March 2026 and coming into force on 30 March 2026, it designates named wrecks and defined seabed areas for statutory protection under the 1986 Act, using World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) co‑ordinates as the reference system.
The Order, signed by the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence, Coaker, revokes and replaces the 2019 designation order (SI 2019/1191). According to the Explanatory Note, it carries forward all previous designations, adds twenty vessels to the list for the first time, updates three controlled sites, and extends the controlled site radii for HMS Royal Oak and HMS Vanguard to 350 metres.
Under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 there are two relevant categories. A designated vessel is treated as a protected place: diving is not, of itself, an offence, but disturbing, moving, or removing items from the wreck without a licence from the Secretary of State is prohibited. A controlled site is a defined area of seabed where entering the site for any purpose is unlawful without such a licence.
The twenty vessels newly designated as protected places are listed in Schedule 1 to the Order. They are HMS Albacore, RFA Cairndale, HMS Coquette, RFA Dinsdale, Emile Deschamps, RFA Gray Ranger, HMS Hawke, RFA Hungerford, RFA Industry, HMS Jason, HMS Kale, RFA Montenol, ML‑247, HMS Nottingham, HMS Recruit, RFA Salviking, RFA Slavol, USCG Tampa, TB‑10, and TB‑11. This list spans Royal Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and allied losses, bringing them within the statutory regime for the first time.
Schedule 2 confirms the controlled site updates. The areas around HMS Royal Oak and HMS Vanguard are enlarged to a 350‑metre radius. For HMS Natal, the relevant point’s co‑ordinates are altered. Controlled sites are also designated for the first time for HMS Cobra, HMCS Regina, and HMCS Trentonian. All other controlled sites from the 2019 Order continue, now consolidated into this instrument.
For operators planning by co‑ordinates, the instrument states that every point is defined by WGS84. Plots taken from the schedules should therefore be entered and checked against equipment set to WGS84 to avoid datum errors when assessing proximity to controlled site boundaries or the precise location of protected places.
For sport and technical divers, the practical rule under a protected place remains clear: access is permitted, interference is not. Lifting artefacts, shifting plates or fittings, digging, or otherwise disturbing the wreck or any human remains constitutes an offence unless carried out under a licence. Recording and photography that do not disturb the site remain the safer default approach.
For commercial salvage, survey and construction interests, controlled sites require early licensing decisions. Entering a controlled site area without a licence is unlawful, regardless of whether contact with wreckage is intended. Where an operation around a protected place could risk disturbance-such as mooring, sampling, or intrusive survey-engagement with the Secretary of State’s licensing process is expected before works commence.
The Order revokes SI 2019/1191 in full, so references in risk assessments, dive briefs and method statements should be updated to SI 2026/286. As of 16 March 2026, organisations have a short window to align voyage plans, dive schedules and consent pathways with the enlarged 350‑metre zones and the newly listed sites ahead of the 30 March commencement.
The Explanatory Note states that no full impact assessment has been produced on the basis that no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen. Policy Wire analysis: the regulatory shift is targeted rather than expansive, but it materially tightens controls around specific high‑risk wrecks and clarifies the legal position for sites that have long been treated as military graves. Compliance now turns on accurate plotting, conservative dive conduct at protected places, and early licensing dialogue for any activity within or near controlled sites.