Extended continental shelf

Thanks to sustained scientific and industrial progress, these oceanic waters have become increasingly accessible through new technologies, which gives these areas extraordinary geopolitical and geoeconomic importance.

It also differs from the concept of the legal continental shelf,[6] which refers to the right of states to exploit their maritime projections up to the limit of 200 nautical miles (regardless of the characteristics of the seabed or its depths, and whether or not there is an extension of the coast under the sea) measured from their baselines (exclusive economic zone or EEZ).

[6] The creation and implementation of this legal concept, which allows coastal states to enjoy exclusive rights over vast oceanic territories, stems from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), specifically in Part VI.

[7] This multilateral treaty was approved in April 1982 and came into force on November 16, 1994, a year after its ratification by Guyana, which fulfilled the requirement that at least 60 signatory states ratify it.

This process must consider the scientific-technical guidelines established by UNCLOS, and the report must be based on extensive data collection, including surveys and various scientific analyses, such as gravimetric, bathymetric, magnetometric, geological, geophysical, morphological, seismic, sedimentological studies, etc.

The commission can request clarifying meetings, make recommendations for modifications, or provide scientific-technical advice, potentially reprocessing the submitted data.

[12][13] UNCLOS, in Article 76, established complex scientific-technical guidelines that all coastal states must follow when estimating the extent of their continental shelf.

The procedure for states wishing to expand their maritime area begins with locating the foot of the continental slope, defined as the point of greatest change in gradient at its base.

Each state will choose the formula to use in each section, applying the most convenient based on seabed features and distances, to achieve the greatest possible extension of exclusive continental shelf.

Subsequently, the proposal obtained is evaluated through the belonging test, in which it must be demonstrated that the continental shelf extends beyond 200 nautical miles measured from the baselines.

[15][16][17] Only if the claimants submit a joint presentation to the CLCS[18][19]—a suggestion that has even been encouraged by the commission itself[20]—or express their consent, will the delimitation not prejudice the final legal settlement.