![]() ![]() CLCS members from the coastal state or its neighbours may not sit on the sub-commission. When the submission of a coastal state is received, the CLCS assigns the matter to a dedicated sub-commission for consideration. The CLCS considers the documentation submitted by the coastal state and recommends where the outer limits of the continental shelf should lie. It gives technical advice and guidance to states, and offers opinions on the data and analyses submitted by coastal states on the basis of the technical and objective criteria set out in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The CLCS is neither a judicial nor a political body. The CLCS is made up of 21 geologists, geophysicists and hydrologists who assess the scientific and technical validity of the data submitted by each coastal state. How is the CLCS constituted? What does it do? States’ rights and obligations in relation to the continental shelf follow from the Convention’s provisions. The Convention’s most important principles are considered to be customary law, and thus also binding on non-parties. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) is often referred to as the constitution for the oceans. Where can the rules on all of this be found? Only then can the coastal state establish the outer limits of its continental shelf with final and binding effect. This information is submitted to an international commission based in New York (the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, or CLCS), which has to give its approval. However, states that have submarine geological prolongations, continental shelves, that extend beyond 200 nautical miles have to document these. Many states therefore do not need to collect more specific data or have the outer limit of their continental shelf considered. How are the size and outer limits of the continental shelf established?Īll coastal states have a continental shelf that stretches 200 nautical miles to sea (1 nautical mile = 1.852 km). What duties and responsibilities do coastal states have on their continental shelf?Ĭoastal states have a duty to safeguard the environment on their continental shelf, and an obligation to let other states use the shelf for certain purposes, such as the laying of pipelines and cables. What rights do coastal states have in this area?Ĭoastal states have an exclusive right to explore and exploit both living and non-living resources on their continental shelf. Areas beyond the continental margin are, however, part of the international seabed area. The continental shelf falls under the coastal state’s jurisdiction. It is the submarine prolongation of a coastal state’s landmass to the outer edge of the continental margin. Norway’s submission covering continental shelf off Bouvetøya and Dronning Maud Land.Norway’s submission covering continental shelf off mainland Norway, Svalbard and Jan Mayen.Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development
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