Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
(to exploit submarine resources) across further expanses of the seabed, potentially encom-
passing thousands of square miles.
Even submitting such materials is controversial, suggesting as it does that claimants like
Australia (the first one to submit in November 2004) think they are acting as coastal states
within the Antarctic. While the Australian submission encompassed all its offshore territ-
ories, it asked the CLCS not to consider the evidence relating to the AAT for the moment.
In April 2006, New Zealand excluded a potential outer continental shelf claim from its
claimed sector, the Ross Dependency. It reserved the right to dispatch another tranche of
materials relating to its Antarctic territories. Argentina in its submission in April 2009 in-
cluded a map showing an outer continental shelf claim in the contested Antarctic Penin-
sula. This was the most blatant example of a claimant state believing that it enjoyed coastal
state rights in the Antarctic. In May 2009, Norway also submitted materials relating to its
Antarctic territory, but asked the CLCS not to consider them for the time being - an ex-
ample of a partial submission. The UK (May 2008) and France (February 2009) have also
opted to make partial submissions, in this case referencing their South Atlantic and South
Indian Ocean territories. Chile (May 2009) made what it called a 'preliminary information'
statement and noted that a formal submission would be forthcoming.
Due to the unresolved sovereignty-related issues, the CLCS will not formally consider the
Antarctic territories, and its recommendations are just that - it is a technical body that is
designed to facilitate the delineation and delimitation of the ocean's seabed. The recom-
mendation is based on the CLCS's evaluation of oceanographic and geological data, and
the commission members make a judgement on whether they agree with the judgement
of coastal states and their mapping of outer continental shelves. It is a complex and exp
and scientific understandingblould be ensive business. To generate a submission in the first
place depends on substantial investigation of the seabed and careful collation of scientific
data. Coastal states are eager to map and agree upon their outer continental shelves because
of the extension of sovereign rights to potential resources on the seabed. Unsurprisingly,
media commentators have been quick to label this process as akin to a 'scramble for re-
sources', especially if it were to be applied to the disputed Antarctic.
