Maldives wants continental shelf extended overlapping portion claimed by Lanka

Maldives today submitted a claim to the UN for 168,000 square kilometres off its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The extended continental shelf claimed by Maldives overlaps with a portion of the area claimed by neighbouring Sri Lanka last year. Maldives however, expressed hope that the issue over the “tiny area” would be resolved through dialogue.

At a ceremony marking the submission the Coast Guard revealed that Maldives’ extended continental shelf spreads over 148,000 square kilometres east and 20,000 square kilometres west.

Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed told journalists that a UN commission is expected to take years to examine the claim, but added that “it would be claimed within our political lifetime.”

“By the grace of God, our 46th Independence Day is the day that we officially claim for our continental shelf after amending some of Maldives’ regional issues,” he said. “This will be achieved within our political lifetime, by the grace of God.”

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Coast Guard noted that Maldives would benefit from the underlying rich natural resources, including minerals, oil and gas.

An armed forces official said Maldives did not conduct surveys to determine the resources in the region but added that surveys conducted by neighbouring countries indicate a rich seabed.

“International Seabed Authority has been asked to permit mining for minerals in the western region of the Indian Ocean. That means bigger nations have carried out surveys and have found that the area has minerals. China also revealed to newspapers that the area is rich in minerals used to manufacture mobile phone batteries,” the official said.

“So this means minerals, oil and gas are present in the area. We are hoping that we would be able to conduct surveys and benefit from these natural resources.”

The extended continental shelf claimed by Maldives overlaps with a portion of the area claimed by neighbouring Sri Lanka last year. Shaheed, however, expressed hope that the issue over the “tiny area” would be resolved through dialogue.

“I believe that we will find a solution through negotiations soon, as Maldives and Sri Lanka have always maintained close bonds,” he said.

The minister noted that the proposal also includes the unmarked EEZ off the south of Maldives.

“The EEZ off the south of Maldives was believed as an area that should be divided equally between Maldives and [British territory] Diego Garcia. Earlier, the [Maldives] government, after considering that, did not respond to the legal announcements issued by the British government. But we started that this year,” he said.

“This year, Maldives responded to the declaration of an environmental area by the British government. We said that the area might include a portion that belongs to Maldives and so the British cannot rule over that portion. So we submitted this map, to show that we would legally claim the areas belonging to the Maldives in the broadest manner.”

While Maldives ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 2000, the extended continental shelf claim comes less than two months before the 10-year deadline.

Brigadier General Zakariya Mansoor said a presidential committee chaired by former Attorney General Dr Mohamed Munawwar and comprising of officials of Fisheries Ministry, Foreign Ministry, and Transport Ministry started the paper work last year with parliament approval. Local and international experts worked on the documents with the assistance of Commonwealth Secretariat, he added.

Shaheed noted that US$20,000 was spent on the project, much less compared to the costs borne by neighbouring countries in similar projects.

The continental shelf is an undersea extension of a continent which can stretch for many miles out to sea in some cases. Many nations have asserted mineral and land rights to their associated continental shelves, since this region of the ocean is rich in natural resources such as marine life. Minerals on the continental shelf are also significantly easier to extract than minerals on the floor of the ocean, since the continental shelf is relatively shallow by comparison. By convention, many countries defend their continental shelves as territorial waters, since they are concerned about the exploitation of their natural resources.