What are the main provisions of the treaty? The UNCLOS provides for the following:
Baseline – Determined by connecting points on the coastline from a large map, this is the starting point for measuring the maritime territory of a coastal state.
Territorial sea – This is the belt of sea 12 nautical miles from the baseline. In this area, the coastal state exercises sovereign rights and may arrest foreign ships.
Contiguous Zone – This is the maritime area not exceeding 24 nautical miles from the baselines. The coastal state exercises authority over this area to the extent necessary to prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration, or sanitation authority over its territorial waters. This is a response to the practice of foreign ships lingering beyond a state’s territorial sea, and thus beyond its criminal jurisdiction, where they commit acts inimical to the coastal state.
Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ – This is the maritime area within 200 nautical miles from a country’s baseline. Within the EEZ, the coastal state has rights over the economic resources of the sea, seabed, and subsoil to the exclusion of other states. However, other nations have the right of navigation and overflight over this area, subject to the regulation of the coastal state.
Continental Shelf – This is the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas adjacent to the coastal state but outside the territorial sea. The continental shelf extends 200 nautical miles, and in some cases may extend up to 350 miles, following the natural prolongation of the soil. The coastal state has the right to explore and exploit the natural resources in this area, but this right does not extend to other materials such as shipwrecks.
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Topic: Knowing what the UNCLOS, the ITLOS, and the EEZ are (Read 3114 times)