Norway has successfully claimed a huge swathe of seabed in the North Sea.
The United Nations has gifted the country the rights to an additional 235,000 square kilometres of seabed – potentially including lucrative oil reserves.
Under rules set down in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea countries can claim seabed beyond the standard 200 nautical mile range if this is a natural extension of their territory. The Arctic has been a controversial area for such claims, with Russia and Canada also seeking seabed rights (see Nature’s 2008 feature ‘The next land rush’ for more on this).
Now the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, which is responsible for assessing such claims, has accepted Norway’s rights to an area that extends nearly to the North Pole (UN pdf).
“This establishes a clear division of responsibility and creates predictable conditions for activities in the High North. It confirms that Norway has substantial rights and responsibilities in maritime areas of some 235 000 square kilometres. The recommendation is therefore of historic significance for Norway,” says Norway’s Foreign Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre (press release).
“Norway is the first polar nation to complete this work,” he added (Reuters).
Norway still has to incorporate the decision into its own law. It must also settle a dispute with Russia over one particular area in the Barents Sea, as the UN commission cannot rule on disputed areas (AFP, Aftenposten).
The New York Times recently reviewed the work of the commission, warning that it was being “swamped” by the number of claims now coming its way:
All told, the commission now has 22 applications, some of which include partial claims by the United Kingdom and France over sea bottom around their colonies. Nine claims arrived since Japan’s submission, with five of those coming in the first three months of this year.
The newcomers include Burma, Mauritius, Yemen, Suriname and Seychelles. Claims by Uruguay and the Philippines arrived just last week in time for the 23rd session of the commission that wrapped up here Thursday.
Image: Støre points to the new areas / Ministry of Foreign Affairs