Abstract Wireless communication research has recently expanded to address the use of 5G in enterprise application, which has led to the introduction of local private industrial networks. At the same time, the use of wireless communication services offshore has increased both in improving the productivity of the incumbent oil and gas segment, and particularly in enabling sustainable windmill park implementations. These developments call for novel, flexible and scalable spectrum management models to meet the operational requirements of these critical infrastructure verticals. This paper investigates spectrum management approaches and regulatory decisions for private mobile industrial communication networks for the offshore applications. The findings indicate that in offshore areas where significant natural resources, such as oil have been utilized, the regulators have defined mechanisms to make spectrum available while the regulation varies between countries. Traditionally, the regulators have been oriented towards public mobile networks and their service areas have been land oriented. The basis for the jurisdiction for offshore deployments is very different, and also the radio environment at sea differs significantly from that on land which calls for new authorization mechanisms and coordination approaches, and different technical requirements.