The challenges of the continental shelf and the international zone (video conference)

Access to the video of the conference (18th January 2017)

Far offshore, towards the deep ocean, two major domains govern the marine space: the continental shelf extending beyond 200 miles where the coastal State can prove the natural extension of its terrestrial territory and the international zone beyond national jurisdiction. These two fields concern the soil and marine subsoil, and are central to the future management of the ocean’s mineral resources.

The continental shelf is of major importance to France, which has a high-ranking maritime domain. For nearly 15 years, France, like many other States, has been dedicated to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, which facilitates the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (the Convention) in respect of the establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles (M) from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
In 2015, France had already delimited more than 500 000 km² of continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles on four overseas areas.
Further offshore the continental shelf, the seabed accounts for 50% of the planet’s surface and its resources are managed by the International Seabed Authority.