Russia announced the aforementioned issue at a meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council on March 25. "The United States is unilaterally attempting to reduce the area of the seabed under the jurisdiction of the ISA, as well as the entire international community," according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Previously, the US State Department announced the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) project in December 2023, claiming jurisdiction over an area of approximately one million square kilometers beyond its territorial waters.
The map of the US Extended Continental Shelf Project was released in December 2023.
Accordingly, these additional ECS zones are located in seven areas in the Arctic, Atlantic, Bering Sea, Pacific , Mariana Islands, and two areas in the Gulf of Mexico. This is believed to expand U.S. potential in areas such as mining, shipping, fishing, and security in the aforementioned locations, but it first needs to be approved.
According to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the continental shelf of a coastal state has a minimum width of 200 nautical miles from the baseline; if the actual continental margin is wider than 200 nautical miles, the coastal state has the right to establish its continental shelf to a maximum of 350 nautical miles or not more than 100 nautical miles from the 2,500-meter isobath.
How did the United States gain an additional 1 million square kilometers?
In cases where a coastal state wishes to establish a continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles, UNCLOS requires that the state submit a proposal to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. A continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles can only be established based on a recommendation from this Commission. Russia submitted its proposal to the Commission in 2015.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated: "These unilateral steps by the United States are inconsistent with the rules and procedures established by international law." At the same time, Russia emphasized that it "has thwarted the latest attempt by the United States to use the 1982 Convention alone to advance its own interests."
In addition to the diplomatic note sent to ISA, Russia also sent documents rejecting the US continental shelf claims to Washington through bilateral channels.
The US has not yet responded to Russia's latest move.
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