Pakistan seabed territory grows by 50,000 square kilometres

[daring dude]

The UN verdict will boost Pak efforts aimed at socioeconomic uplift of people, says Sartaj. -Dawn/File
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s seabed territory grew by about 50,000 square kilometres after a UN body accepted Islamabad’s claim for extension of sea limits.

“On 19 March 2015, United Nations’ Commission on Limits of Continental Shelf (UNCLCS) completed its review and accepted Pakistan’s claim for extension of its continental shelf limits, thereby extending Pakistan’s sea limits from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles,” Pakistan Navy’s media directorate said.

Following the acceptance of the claim, Pakistan’s offshore territory of 240,000sqkm would expand by another 50,000sqkm allowing the country to benefit from the natural resources contained in it.

The UN verdict will boost Pak efforts aimed at socioeconomic uplift of people, says Sartaj
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) grants special rights to the coastal states with regards to exploration and use of marine resources, including energy production in the area in its jurisdiction, which is also described as exclusive economic zone.

Under the UNCLOS, coastal countries are allowed economic control of the waters and seabed up to 200nm from their shores. The international treaty allows countries to further claim an extended continental shelf stretching up to 350nm from the baselines of its territorial sea if they could prove that the claimed area was a natural prolongation of their land territory.

Pakistan welcomed the UN commission’s verdict, terming it a “landmark achievement and a momentous event in the country’s history”.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz in a statement said: “It is of great satisfaction for us that Pakistan’s claim at the United Nations’ Commission on Limits of Continental Shelf, for extension of outer limits of its continental shelf, has been unanimously approved.”

This development, he said, would boost Pakistan’s efforts aimed at sustainable socioeconomic uplift of the people of Pakistan.

Article 76(4) to (6) of the UNCLOS prescribes a complicated formula for claiming such an extension. The claimant state has to present legal and scientific basis for its claim before a 21-member commission of experts. The evidence is accompanied by maps to prove that the claimed continental shelf is extension of its territory and fits the description given under Law of Sea Treaty of 1982.

Pakistan had filed its case with the UNCLCS on April 30, 2009. The application was preceded by a four-year extensive study jointly conducted by the Pakistan Navy and National Institute of Oceanography under the patronage of Ministry of Science and Technology.

A seven-member sub-commission of the UNCLCS evaluated Pakistan’s case for a year and accepted Pakistan’s claim.

Some of the claimed territory overlapped Omani claim. It is believed that the verdict in favour of Pakistan was announced after successful negotiations with Oman.

Mr Aziz in his statement thanked the government of Oman.

“We are thankful to the brotherly country of Oman for its understanding and cooperation in the matter,” the adviser said.

 

[Asmar Hussain]

Congratulationsssss

 

[Viper0011.]

The UN verdict will boost Pak efforts aimed at socioeconomic uplift of people, says Sartaj. -Dawn/File
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s seabed territory grew by about 50,000 square kilometres after a UN body accepted Islamabad’s claim for extension of sea limits..

I don't know if anyone has noticed the map of the new allocation. This will have HUGE defense related impact. With dedicated naval air units and more sophisticated ships covering this area in the future, the newly allocated block narrows down the path of open seas, to some of the main Indian ports next to Pakistan.
Meaning:
1) This makes it very hard for India to put in a "naval blockade" of any kind. As the area has extended a lot.
2) The area from Oman, Iran, going to the Indian ports, has narrowed. Not there is not a lot of room for the Indian ships to roam freely.
In fact, a stronger PN can effectively cause issues in Indian trade vessels going from Iran's straight of Homez to India, as the new allocated route extends out Pakistan reach into the ocean to a much lager point, if you see the map.
3) India will need to push away her naval aircraft carrier to avoid strikes from the PN, which means the aircraft trying to conduct any missions around Pakistani ports, will now have another 200-400 miles distance, making it harder to "refuel" in the enemy's territory and thus, reducing the range, limit the weapons load and overall impacting the ability to strike quickly. All of which are huge advantages for Pakistan.

 

[Spy Master]

I don't know if anyone has noticed the map of the new allocation. This will have HUGE defense related impact. With dedicated naval air units and more sophisticated ships covering this area in the future, the newly allocated block narrows down the path of open seas, to some of the main Indian ports next to Pakistan.
Meaning:
1) This makes it very hard for India to put in a "naval blockade" of any kind. As the area has extended a lot.
2) The area from Oman, Iran, going to the Indian ports, has narrowed. Not there is not a lot of room for the Indian ships to roam freely.
In fact, a stronger PN can effectively cause issues in Indian trade vessels going from Iran's straight of Homez to India, as the new allocated route extends out Pakistan reach into the ocean to a much lager point, if you see the map.
3) India will need to push away her naval aircraft carrier to avoid strikes from the PN, which means the aircraft trying to conduct any missions around Pakistani ports, will now have another 200-400 miles distance, making it harder to "refuel" in the enemy's territory and thus, reducing the range, limit the weapons load and overall impacting the ability to strike quickly. All of which are huge advantages for Pakistan.

What do you say about post# 40 here:
Pakistan gets additional 50,000 sq-km in sea area | Page 3

 

[Viper0011.]

What do you say about post# 40 here:
Pakistan gets additional 50,000 sq-km in sea area | Page 3

He's partly right and partly ignoring facts. When your country's whether EEZ or overall sea-line is extended, it doesn't mean you can stop anyone from going. But, my post was focused on a conflict with India. As the sea line extends, Pakistan, having access to natural exploration, and sea mining and all, will also need to protect its trade route, exploration activities. Which also means, the navy has to patrol the area, which then by default means IN and its operations will further get pushed back by easy few hundred miles, giving Pakistan a key strategic advantage and limiting IN's blockade ability.

Plus in the case of a conflict, with this change, Pakistan (if it has a bigger Navy and naval ir arm), is now in a condition to stop some Indian trade cargo coming in from the other side (straight of Homez from Iran), as the open area from which the Indian ships would travel through, has narrowed done significantly (as map shows also). So in peacetime, from a defense standpoint, it may not mean much as life goes on as normal. In peacetime, this has significant advantages for Pakistan

 

[daring dude]

That's correct @Viper0011. , that is good news in every aspect but also extra efforts to cover up and extending its Coverage by #Pak forces like Navy and coast guards to safeguard its Water Limits... and even if Indian ships will not take transit from Pak Waters then their Trade will be effecting badly with route change and that will also increase the traveling time also...
but also positive in manners for Fishing , Coral reefs and exploration Aspects for Pakistan...

 

[My-Analogous]

That's correct @Viper0011. , that is good news in every aspect but also extra efforts to cover up and extending its Coverage by #Pak forces like Navy and coast guards to safeguard its Water Limits... and even if Indian ships will not take transit from Pak Waters then their Trade will be effecting badly with route change and that will also increase the traveling time also...
but also positive in manners for Fishing , Coral reefs and exploration Aspects for Pakistan...

Thread is already running.

Pakistan sea limits increase from 200 nm to 350 nm | Page 5

 

[Kambojaric]

So any potential Indian gas pipeline connected to C Asia via Iran would have to go all around this Pakistani EEZ?

 

[Aslam Khokhar]

The idea of recognizing a nation state’s special rights over sea space outside territorial limits and calling it Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a relatively new one. In earlier times, a country’s sovereign territorial waters extended up to the distance where cannon shots landed in the water from the coast and was generally taken as three nautical miles. As gun ranges improved, this limit was extended to twelve nautical miles.

In a bid to secure resources of adjoining seas after WW-II, countries began to claim jurisdiction beyond the twelve miles limit. United States of America was the first country to proclaim exclusive jurisdiction beyond traditional territorial limit of twelve miles, while Chile and Peru were the first to put a figure of 200 nautical miles on their claims of maritime zones.

In 1982, United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) was formally adopted which recognized the concept of EEZ as an area beyond the territorial sea, subject to special legal regime established in Part V of the convention, under which the rights and jurisdiction of the coastal States and the rights and freedom of other States are governed by the relevant provisions of the treaty.

This definition made a clear distinction between territorial sea and EEZ, wherein while the former conferred full sovereignty over waters adjoining its coast up to twelve nautical miles limit, the later conferred ‘sovereign rights’ below the surface of the sea. The sea surface however could be used by other states for ‘innocent passage’ of their flagged vessels.

In 1994, UNCLOS came into force after ratification of requisite number of sixty countries and to date approximately 162 countries have joined it. It is interesting to note that US has not ratified UNCLOS even though it recognizes it as codification of customary international law.

Pakistan has nearly 810 kilometers long coast line. With the acceptance of Pakistan’s claim early this year by UN commission for extension of its continental shelf from 200 to 350 nautical miles, its ‘sea bed territory’ has increased by another 50,000 square kilometers to 290,000 square kilometers. This is more than the combined area of Sind and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces.

An immediate consequence of this extension in Pakistan’s EEZ has been the negative impact on proposed Iran-Oman-India pipeline estimated to cost nearly $ 4 billion and capable of transporting nearly a trillion cubic feet gas over the next two decades. It was planned to be 1,300 kilometers long and 3400 meters under the sea and was to run from Chahbahar in Iran and Ras al Ratan in Oman to Porbandar in India with a compression station on Murray Ridge which now falls in our extended EEZ. Routing of the pipeline further south in deeper waters would disturb the cost-benefit ratio and pose complex technical challenges.

In 1995, Pakistan had blocked a proposed deep-sea pipeline from Oman to India because it crossed our EEZ. This forced India to adopt a route outside of our previous 200 nautical miles limit of EEZ and for which detailed design, equipment trials and procurement of long lead items were planned during 2013-15. We need to keep an eye on these developments and not be taken by surprise as India might try to dispute our fundamental sovereign rights over the sea bed in the extended EEZ.

India is already violating the spirit of UNCLOS by requiring 24 hours prior notice for ships carrying hazardous and dangerous cargos like oil, chemicals, noxious liquids, and radio-active material to enter its EEZ. In other words it is clearly endeavoring to ‘territorialize’ its EEZ.

Like neighboring Iran and India, Pakistan too has claimed authority to regulate military activities in its EEZ especially where the use of explosives or weapons is involved. In addition, we also require foreign aircraft to file flight plans before transiting over the EEZ. These claims reflect our legitimate security interest in the zone but in order to be taken seriously, it should now be followed by robust military capacity as well as pursuit of objectives through psychological measures, media warfare and legal means to dissuade adversaries from undermining our national interests.

This huge stretch of sea space can justifiably be called the fifth province of Pakistan. It is rich in hydrocarbons, fish, and other sea bed resources. In order to benefit from this gift of nature, Pakistan must undertake serious initiatives to acquire deep sea exploratory vessels which are capable of probing beneath the sea bed and evaluating data to determine presence of various natural resources.

Unless there is knowledge and information about what lies beneath the seabed under our jurisdiction, there is unlikely to be serious urge to extract this vast reservoir of national wealth. Outsourcing this task to other countries is not the answer as information on complete and authentic data on these resources is too precious to be shared with other countries.

One of the most precious resources under the sea bed in EEZ is the possibility of oil in Indus and Makran basins. The Indus basin constituting delta/fan system is second largest in the world after Bay of Bengal and is analogous to many producing basins in the world in geological terms. Pakistan hasn’t had much success in off-shore drilling in the past though efforts have been made by such drilling firms as Sun Oil Company, Wintershall, Husky, Occidental, Total, PPL, Shell, and Eni which in all drilled about twelve wells. But as technology improves, one can hope for a better success rate.

Sea food is another precious resource where our fish production in the marine sector, extending up to 35 nautical miles from the coast, is nearly 70 percent whiles the remaining 30 percent is obtained from inland sector. There is no reliable data on the quantum of fish resource beyond 35 nautical miles limit in the EEZ which is routinely transgressed by modern ‘floating factory’ type fishing trawlers from other countries.

Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency (MSA) frequently apprehends Indian fishermen who intrude into Pakistani waters but its reach and capacity against ‘big time’ thieves operating further south of the coast is severely constrained. MSA does not have sufficient air surveillance assets to monitor the activities in EEZ, nor does it have enough surface vessel resources to effectively police the area once intruders have been reported.

The problem is compounded by unscrupulous interest groups residing in the city’s posh areas who regularly pass on movements of surveillance aircraft to alert erring fishing vessels. Since MSA has the entire responsibility of the country’s coastlines in terms of strategic security, as well as law enforcement within EEZ, it must be beefed up to measure up to the assigned task.

Our EEZ is located in close proximity to Straits of Hormuz which centuries ago was called western ‘entrepot’ of the Indian Ocean by the Portuguese. The other ‘entrepot’, or a centre to which good are brought for import and export and for collection and distribution, was Malacca Strait.

While this huge area offers opportunities to explore additional resources, its unique geographical proximity also poses challenges in the form of threats which could imperil our national security. These threats could emanate from inter-state territorial disputes, political instability, piracy, dumping of toxic waste, human smuggling, drugs and arms smuggling and transnational crimes including maritime terrorism such as the blowing up a fishing boat by Indian coast guard in the recent past.

As the world at large focuses sharply on environmental issues, we too need to make an effort to keep our surrounding seas clean and healthy. It is common knowledge in the marine industry that dumping of toxic waste and operational discharges from tankers are the most significant chronic and continuous sources of polluting the oceans and causing ‘sub-lethal toxicity’ for both human and marine life which induces generic damage even in low concentrations.

Guarding our national interest in the EEZ is a huge challenge but so are the benefits due to its size and enormity of resources. It would make sense to chalk out a comprehensive strategy for exploration of resources both beneath the surface and under the sea bed, complete with its surveillance and defense and sooner the better.