Geography & BiodiversityImportant2025-04-03

India Expands Continental Shelf Claim in Arabian Sea

Why focus: GS2 IR / GS1 Geo. Tests UNCLOS maritime zones (EEZ vs Continental Shelf) and CLCS mandate in Assertion-Reason format.

In News

What Happened

On April 3, 2025, India submitted two modified claims to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) regarding its maritime boundaries in the Arabian Sea. By strategically splitting its original 2009 claim into two partial submissions, India expanded its Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) claim by roughly 10,000 square kilometers. This modification was specifically designed to bypass overlapping maritime boundary disputes with Pakistan near the Sir Creek estuary.

Why It Matters

This tactical adjustment isolates uncontested areas in the Central Arabian Sea, ensuring the UN can process India's submission without bilateral hurdles. If officially approved, the expansion will grant India exclusive sovereign rights to explore and exploit critical seabed resources, including oil, natural gas, and polymetallic nodules.

Background

History & Context

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a nation can claim an Extended Continental Shelf beyond its standard 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) if it proves the seabed is a natural geological extension of its landmass. India first submitted its comprehensive claim for the Arabian Sea in 2009. However, in 2021, Pakistan formally objected to the submission, citing territorial overlaps near the disputed Sir Creek region. As a result, the CLCS rejected the original claim in 2023 but permitted India to submit modified, scientifically backed claims.

What Changed

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Claim Structure: BEFORE, India maintained a single, sweeping continental shelf claim in the Arabian Sea submitted in 2009. NOW, India has split this submission into two partial claims to separate the uncontested Central Arabian Sea from the disputed Western offshore regions.
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Dispute Management: BEFORE, India's proposed boundary overlapped with Pakistan's maritime claims near the Sir Creek estuary, causing the UN to halt the review process. NOW, the revised boundaries intentionally bypass the disputed zone, effectively nullifying Pakistan's grounds for UN objection.
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Total Claimed Area: BEFORE, the seabed claim followed the original 2009 geological mapping calculations. NOW, utilizing updated scientific data and boundary adjustments, India has successfully increased its total claimed seabed in the Central Arabian Sea by approximately 10,000 square kilometers.

Prelims Angle

NCERT Connection

This event directly builds on concepts from Class 11 Geography (India Physical Environment), Chapter 1: 'India - Location,' which outlines India's territorial limits and maritime boundaries. The Extended Continental Shelf submission demonstrates how geological continuity is practically applied under UNCLOS to project a nation's sovereign resource rights well beyond the standard Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) discussed in the curriculum.

Practice Questions

Q1

Correct Statement(s)

With reference to India's maritime claims and the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS), which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. A coastal nation can claim an ECS beyond its 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone by providing scientific proof of geological extension to the UN CLCS. 2. India's modified ECS claims in the Arabian Sea were split into two partial submissions primarily to resolve an overlapping boundary dispute with Oman.

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