|
India to seek rights over extended seabed |
 |
India may get exclusive rights to 1.5 million sq. km of seabed beyond its Exclusive Economic Zone [EEZ] of 2,02 million sq. km. Excited by the tremendous unexplored potential this provides, Science and Technology Minister, Kapil Sibal said, India would stake claim to the area soon under the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS].
According to sources in the Department of Ocean Development, extensive geophysical surveys of the area were conducted both by the foreign and Indian research ships. The results are now being interpreted and analyzed. Under UNCLOS provisions, about 30 countries can stake claim to the Continental Shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles of the EEZ. The normal baseline at the coast is the low-tide line. Territorial sea continues from the baseline upto 12 nautical miles. The next 12 nautical miles make up the Contiguous Zone. The EEZ extends 200 nautical miles from the baseline. The Continental Shelf is the natural prolongation of landmass extending beyond the territorial sea.
|
