India’s Claim in the Central Arabian Sea

Context

India has strategically elevated its claim in the Central Arabian Sea, adding nearly 10,000 square kilometers to its Extended Continental Shelf (ECS).

Key Highlights

• Recent Addition in the Arabian Sea: According to the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, India’s seabed, could nearly equal its land area of 3.274 million square kilometers.
• Modified Strategy: In response to Pakistan’s objections over disputed areas in the Western Arabian Sea, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) rejected India’s complete claim inside the place in March 2023.
  • Recently, India restructured its claims into partial submissions, securing uncontested regions whilst leaving disputed areas for bilateral discussion.  

About the Continental Shelf

• It is a crucial concept in maritime law, defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• It refers to the submerged extension of a country’s landmass, stretching from the coastline to the deep ocean floor.
• Coastal countries have sovereign rights over their continental shelf for exploring and exploiting natural assets, along with minerals, oil, and fuel.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Beyond

• Nations are entitled to an EEZ extending 200 nautical miles from their coastline, granting special rights to fishing, mining of  minerals, polymetallic nodules, and resource extraction like oil reserves.
• India presently possesses 12 nautical miles of territorial sea and 200 nautical miles of EEZ.
• Beyond the EEZ, countries can claim an ECS in the event that they provide scientific proof to the CLCS that the shelf is a natural extension in their landmass

UNCLOS and the CLCS

• UNCLOS, followed in 1982, provides the legal framework for defining and claiming the continental shelf.
• The CLCS, established under UNCLOS, evaluates scientific statistics submitted by countries and makes recommendations at the outer limits of their continental shelf.

Process of Claiming a Continental Shelf Under UNCLOS

• Scientific Evidence: Nations must offer particular scientific statistics proving that the continental shelf is a natural extension of their landmass to the seabed.
  • It includes geological and geophysical surveys, bathymetric mapping, and sediment analysis.
• Submission to the CLCS: It includes technical data and maps outlining the proposed boundaries.
• Review and Recommendations: The CLCS critiques the submission and may request additional information or modifications.
  • It affords guidelines at the outer limits of the continental shelf, which might be binding once familiar.
• Resolving Overlaps: If the claimed area overlaps with every other country’s continental shelf, bilateral negotiations or agreements are required to solve disputes.
• Final Approval: Once the CLCS recommendations are typical, the claiming state gains rights to discover and make the most resources in the ECS, which includes minerals, oil, and fuel.

Navigating Geopolitical Challenges

• Sir Creek Dispute: Located in the marshes of the Rann of Kutch, keeps to undertaking India’s maritime claims.
  • Pakistan raised objections to portions of India’s ECS submission, mentioning overlaps near the maritime border.
• Oman Overlap: India’s ECS in the Arabian Sea overlaps with Oman’s claims; but, an Agreement in 2010 ensures that this shared place is not under dispute.
• Contests inside the East: On India’s jap and southern coastlines, ECS claims in the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean span 300,000 square kilometers but have confronted challenges from Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Source: The Hindu

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world. (2014)

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