News

Durham expert comments on UN continental shelf deadline

(13 May 2009)

A Durham University expert has commented on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) deadline.

Martin Pratt, Director of Research at Durham's International Boundaries Research Unit, said: “Today's (May 13) deadline has little significance for the question of continental shelf rights in the Arctic Ocean. “Russia and Norway made submissions to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in 2001 and 2006 respectively, while Canada and Denmark have until November 2013 and November 2014 to prepare their submissions, and the ten-year clock for the USA will only start ticking when the USA becomes a party to UNCLOS. “In 2002 the CLCS asked Russia to provide additional information concerning its continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean; this information has yet to be submitted but is not subject to any deadline. “The CLCS has now made recommendations on eight out of the nine submissions made up to the end of 2007. It will be interesting to see how quickly the commission is able to respond to the large number of submissions it has received in recent months. “The documentation submitted by Argentina alone reportedly comprised 40 volumes weighing a total 840 kilograms - although due to the sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the UK over the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the Commission will probably not be able to consider either state's submission concerning the continental shelf off those islands. It is also not entirely clear whether Argentina expects the CLCS to consider its submission to continental shelf in areas covered by the Antarctic Treaty.”