Why would anyone pay €750m for a dodgy title (it's unclear whether Bates legally owns what he's offering for sale) to a non-mobile platform in UK territorial waters? For that much money you could probably get a nice ship, which you could then keep in international waters. And you could always unilaterally declare your ship to be an independent country, if you like, just like "Sealand", though I don't think it will make people take you any more seriously. Probably rather the reverse.

Never sell to a Bittorrent tracker, will we ?

Hope then that you never need to pull a Yang and, hat in hand and tail firmly between legs, go begging a Bittorrent tracker to please give you 20 bucks in exchange for your worthless pile of cement.

and technically that is land.

Hmm, that could be the solution, could fish, grow veg on deck. Claim the sea around it and charge a toll of any ship that passes, refuse to pay and up goes the jolly roger.

I am thinking maybe the Calais to Dover crossing would have rich pickings.

Shiver me timbers, and raise the main sail, enough of these lousy land lubbers.

See, you when the tax rate drops again, could be a decade or so.

then they can start actual piracy operations and get the protection of the UN. As long as they don't grab any oil transports, and only target American and British craft.