Oceans of Possibilities … and Responsibilities
When the new outer limits are in place, States will probably proceed to explore and ex- ploit their outer continental shelves. There is still limited knowledge about the variety and distribution of resources in the deep ocean, but research and investigation is ac- celerating. Dwindling land-based reserves of hydrocarbons and minerals and the rising commodities market, together with the development of deep-sea technology has made this new frontier possible.
On its continental shelf, including areas beyond 200 M, a coastal State has the right to explore and exploit the natural resources of the seabed and subsoil. These are defined as mineral and other non-living resources, and living sedentary species13. One of the major differ- ences between the continental shelf regime within the 200 M zone and the extended continental shelf area is the requirement to share part of the revenue from non-living resources with the international communi- ty17. States have to make payments or contributions in kind when non-living resources are extracted. These are to be distributed by the ISA to developing States, “particularly the least developed and the land-locked amongst them”17. Such benefit sharing does not apply to living resources.
Beyond areas of national jurisdiction, the seabed and subsoil with its non-living resources belong to the Area, which is designated as the common heritage of mankind18. The ISA organises and controls activities in the Area, particularly with a view to administering the resources of the Area.
24 Continental Shelf
Resource exploration is moving into deeper and deeper waters. The oil and gas industry is very effective at over- coming engineering challenges and is now developing the capability to explore the oceans to a depth of 4 km. Simi- larly the search for methane hydrates is venturing onto continental slopes and beyond the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). Interest in marine mining has recently in- creased and companies are actively developing produc- tion systems. A copper-gold deposit in Papua New Guinea looks set to be the first commercial extraction of deep- water massive sulphides. Besides mineral resources, the ocean represents a virtually untapped resource for discov- ery of novel chemicals with pharmaceutical potential. Ma- rine plants, animals, and microbes are seen as the medi- cine chest of the future.
Technological progress not only allows us to extract re- sources, but also to put back waste products. The interest in carbon capture and storage (CCS) started in the late 1990s with CO2 injection into oil and gas fields to enhance recov- ery. Driven by concerns about rising CO2 levels in the atmos- phere, it is now developing into a whole new industry.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36