Lessons from the Bay of Bengal ITLOS case: stepping offshore for a 'deeper' maritime political geography

Authors

Shaun Lin, University Of Wollongong
Clive Schofield, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

93761

Publication Details

S. Lin and C. Schofield, 'Lessons from the Bay of Bengal ITLOS case: stepping offshore for a 'deeper' maritime political geography' (2014) 180 (3) The Geographical Journal 260-264.

Abstract

On 14 March 2012, the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea (ITLOS) delimited a maritime boundary with respect to multiple distinct maritime jurisdictional zones (territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf) between Bangladesh and Myanmar (Bay of Bengal Case). ITLOS did not, however, wholly resolve the issues of marine governance that the two states face in the Bay of Bengal, leaving a number of complex and potentially problematic issues outstanding, including the unique creation of what was termed a ‘grey area’, the governance arrangements for which are open to debate. This commentary highlights future opportunities of research on the outer continental shelf and the grey area in political geography.