L’ extension du plateau continental au-delà de 200 milles : Un point de vue juridique

Abstract

The Extension of the Continental Shelf beyond 200 Nautical Milles: A Legal Point of View

Abstract. The continental margin and specially the continental shelf is in many areas of the world, rich in natural resources. Coastal states have two goals in extending the continental shelf; to maximize and protect their claims to extended continental shelf as far as the determination of outer limits and the delimitation of continental shelf boundaries with opposite or adjacent States are concerned, and to receive the Commission’s recommendations on their outer limit claim made pursuant to Article 76 of the Convention for the Law of the Sea. Tension can be created by the two objectives in some cases. This essay examines in the fi rst place, the legal framework of the extension of the continental shelf and the different criteria used to delineate the outer limit of the extended continental shelf. In the second place, it describes the main steps followed by coastal states in their submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). Special consideration is given to the effect of an existing delimitation dispute on the submissions made to the Commission and the consequences of its recommendations.

Keywords: extension of the continental shelf; Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf; delineation and delimitation of the outer limit of the extended continental shelf; submission to the CLCS.