Barbados continues the process of securing its entitlements to maritime space. Word of this has come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and International Business. 

On Friday, May 8, Barbados’ case for an extension to the continental shelf was submitted to the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) of the United Nations. This is in accordance to Article 76 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Barbados’ submission is the first made by a small island developing state and comes one full year ahead of the deadline of May 2009 set by States Parties to UNCLOS under which coastal states must submit information on the limits of the continental shelf.

Under the provisions of Article 76 of UNCLOS, and where the geophysical conditions exist, coastal states may exercise jurisdiction over maritime space up to approximately 150 nautical miles beyond the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone limits. This maritime space is commonly referred to as the extended continental shelf.  

The filing of Barbados’ continental shelf submission represents the culmination of two years of intense technical, legal and diplomatic work by the continental shelf project team, led by Special Envoy for the Environment Dr. Leonard Nurse. 

Persons who wish to view the executive summary of the submission can log on to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) at the following links: 

http://www.un.org/Depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/submission_brb.htm

http://www.un.org/Depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/brb08/brb08_executive_summary.pdf