Handbook on the Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Handbook on the Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea Office of Legal Affairs United Nations • New York, 2000 NOTE The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations conceming the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or conceming the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Sales No. E.Ol.V2 ISBN 92-1-133630-9 Copyright ~) United Nations, 2000 All rights reserved ¡¡¡ Contents FOREWORD ............................................................................................................... CHAPTER l. MARITIME ZONES SUBJECT TO BOUNDARY DELIMITATION ... 3 A. Baselines .................................................................................. .................. 3 l. Nonnal baselines. ................. ........................ ............... ... ............... 4 (a) Nonnal baselines ........................................................... 4 (b) Low-water !in e.............................................................. 4 2. Reefs ............................................................................................. 4 3. Low-tide elevations....................................................................... 5 4. Straight baselines .......................................................................... 5 5. Speciallocal applications.............................................................. 6 (a) Mouths of rivers .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .. ................................. .... 6 (b) Bays .............................................................................. 6 (e) Ports .............................................................................. 7 ( d) Roadsteads . .. .. .. ... .. .. ...... .. .. ................ ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .. 7 6. Archipelagic baselines ................ ........ .............. .............. .............. 7 B. Maritime zones ........................................................................................... 8 l. Territorial sea................................................................................ 8 V Contents (continued) 2. Contiguous zone ........................................................................... 9 3. Exclusive economic zone ............................................................. 9 4. Continental shelf .......................................................................... 10 C. Deposit of charts /list of coordinates and due publicity ............................ 10 CHAPTER 2. NORMS AND RULES APPLICABLE TO MARITIME BOUNDARY 12 DELIMITATION ......................................................................................................... A. Treaty provisions on maritime boundary delimitation ............................... 12 l. Territorial sea ............................................................................... 12 2. Continental shelf and exclusive economic zone ........................... 14 (a) Continental shelf under the 1958 Geneva Convention .. 14 (b) Exclusive economic zone and continental shelf under the 15 1982 Convention ................................................................ B. The contribution of jurisprudence to the rules applicable to maritime 18 boundary delimitation ..................................................................................... l. Natural prolongation 1 non-encroachrnent .................................... 19 2. Proportionality ............................................................................. 22 CHAPTER 3. FACTORS EXERTING AN INFLUENCE ON MARITIME 25 BOUNDARY DELIMITATION .................................................................................. A. Geographical factors .................................................................................. 25 l. Geographical context of the relevant are a .................................... 26 2. Physical geography or configuration of the coasts ....................... 26 (a) Adjacent or opposite coasts .......................................... 28 VI Contents (continued) Page J (b) General direction of the coast ...................................... 28 (e) Comparative lengths of the relevant coastlines ............ 29 (d) Concave or convex shape ............................................. 30 (e) Basepoints .................................................................... 32 (t) Islands and rocks .......................................................... 33 B. Geomorphological and geological factors ofthe seabed and subsoil ........ 35 C. Economic factors ....................................................................................... 37 1. Resources ..................................................................................... 37 (a) Hydrocarbon resources ................................................. 38 J (b) F isheries ....................................................................... 38 2. Navigation .................................................................................... 40 3. Socio-economic position of S tates ............................................... 41 D. Political and security factors ..................................................................... 42 E. Other factors .............................................................................................. 44 l. Environment. ................................................................................ 44 2. Presence of third States ................................................................ 45 CHAPTER 4. METHODS APPLICABLE TO MARITIME BOUNDARY 47 DELIMITATION: ........................................................................................................ A. Equidistance .............................................................................................. 47 VIl Contents (continued) B. Perpendicularity ........................................................................................ .. 56 C. Meridians and parallels ............................................................................. .. 57 D. Enclaving ................................................................................................... 59 E. Parallellines (Corridor) ............................................................................ .. 61 F. Other means of achieving a delimitation line ............................................ .. 62 CHAPTER 5. PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS .......................... 64 A. Preparing for negotiations ......................................................................... 64 B. Negotiating team and its instructions (mandate) ........................................ 65 C. Information and documentation ................................................................ .. 66 D. Field (survey) data and other data ............................................................ .. 68 E. Acquisition of technical equipment and of software aiding maritime 69 boundary delimitation ..................................................................................... F. Financia) implicatíons ................................................................................ 70 CHAPTER 6. NEGOTIATING AND DRAFTING THE AGREEMENT .................. .. 72 A. Negotiating the agreement.. ....................................................................... 72 l. Principies ofinternational negotíations ........................................ 72 2. Informal contacts and consultation preceding 72 the formal negotiations .................................................................... 3. Objective of the negotíations and attitude of 73 the parties ........................................................................................ 4. Rules relevant to the negotiations ............................................... .. 73 V111 Contents (continued) 5. Full powers .................................................................................. 74 6. Need to avoid certain unilateral actions ....................................... 74 7. Negotiating strategy and tactics ........................................ , ......... .. 75 8. Time devoted to the negotiations ................................................. 76 B. Drafting the agreement .............................................................................. 76 l. Form ofthe delimitation agreement.. ........................................... 76 2. Content ofthe delimitation agreement ......................................... 77 (a) Preamble ....................................................................... 77 (b) Definitions ................................................................... 77 (e) Main el a uses concerning the actual delimitation line .... 77 (d) Provisions devoted to particular problems ................... 78 (e) Provisions regarding third States .................................. 79 (f) Dispute settlement provisions concerning the interpretation and application of maritime boundary 79 delimitation agreements ..................................................... (g) Prevention and settlement of other disputes ................. 79 (h) Resource-deposit clauses, resource-unity clauses and 80 other cooperative-arrangements clauses ............................ (i) Clauses concerning fisheries rights ............................... 81 U) Final clauses .................................................................