Section 20 subsection (1) provides that Part 4 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 is amended as set out in Section 20.
	Section 20 subsection (2) makes technical amendments to the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 to ensure that relevant planned UK activities in ABNJ can be brought within scope of the 2009 Act (and the Marine Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2007) as required to ensure compliance with Parts III and IV of the BBNJ Agreement. Part III concerns Area-Based Management Tools, and Part IV requires Parties to ensure that the potential impacts on the marine environment of planned activities under their jurisdiction or control that take place in ABNJ are assessed as set out in Part IV of the BBNJ Agreement. The purpose of these technical amendments is to ensure that the existing power in section 66 of the 2009 Act to add activities to the marine licensing regime can be used effectively in relation to ABNJ where required to comply with Part III and IV requirements. The amendments made to the 2009 Act by the BBNJ Act are as follows:
Inserting section 66(3A), which sets out that an order under section 66(3) that adds to the list of licensable marine activities may designate that activity as activity added in contemplation of the UK’s obligations under (a) Part III of the BBNJ Agreement or (b) in respect of an activity that takes place in ABNJ, Part IV of the BBNJ Agreement.
Inserting section 66(3B), which specifies that the consequential and other related provision that may be made under section 316(1)(b) in respect of an order made under the existing power in section 66(3) adding a new licensable marine activity can include provision amending primary or secondary legislation if the new activity has been designated under section 66(3A).
Inserting section 66(3C), which contains associated definitions of "area beyond national jurisdiction" and "the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement".
	Section 20 subsection (3) makes a technical amendment to Section 74 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 to specify that, where an order under section 74 applies to an activity that has been designated under section 66(3A), the consequential and other related provision that can be made under section 316(1)(b) can include provision amending primary or secondary legislation. Section 74 is the existing power to specify by order exemptions to the requirement for a marine licence.
	Section 20 subsection (4) adds a provision that the usual exemption for submarine cables does not prevent the application of Part 4 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 to activity designated under section 66(3A) of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. This would allow activities done while laying or maintaining an offshore stretch of exempt submarine cable to be regulated as licensable marine activities if designated under section 66(3A).
	Section 20 subsection (4) also amends the heading of section 81 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 to remove "on the continental shelf" so that it more accurately reflects the content of the section, including as that section is amended by the current provisions in Section 20 subsection (4)(b) and (c) of the Act.
Part 4 – Environmental Impact Assessments Section 20: Marine Licensing