UNCLOS and Article 76

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defines the different maritime zones and regulates marine sovereignty rights and rights of use, among others. The juridical Continental Shelf of a coastal state comprises the submerged natural prolongation of its land territory, and consists of the seabed and subsoil of the shelf, the slope and the rise.

Illustration of maritime zones Source: after Symonds et al., 1998

According to Article 76, coastal states can - under certain geological conditions - extend their juridical Continental Shelf and thus gain marine sovereignty rights beyond the 200-nautical-mile limit of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Submissions for an extended Continental Shelf need to be filed directly with the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) and must contain detailed marine geoscientific data describing e. g. the shape of the continental margin, the location of the foot of the continental slope and the sediment thickness.

For many developing countries the extension of their juridical Continental Shelf bears a significant economic potential. Within the extended zone, a state has among other things the exclusive right of exploring and exploiting non-living-resources of the seabed and subsoil as well as sedentary species, whereas fishing rights remain limited to the EEZ. Furthermore, the countries are enabled to conduct and coordinate research activities in these areas or the installation of marine-technical systems (such as pipelines). Beyond that, states can also impose environmental restraints and supervise their fulfilment according to UNCLOS.