MARITIME BOUNDARY OF BANGLADESHPROSPECTS & CHALLENGES

SUBMITTED TO

MIZANUL HOQUELecturer

Department of LawPort City International University.

GROUP MEMBERS:

MD SOHEL KHAN

Department of Textile EngineeringPort City International University.

ContentsINTRODUCTIONBACKGROUNDPROSPECTSCHALLENGESCONCLUSION

Introduction• Maritime boundary is the division of the water surface of

the planet into maritime areas of contribution that are defined through surrounding physical geography or by human geography. It is also called the borders of a maritime nation and is recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

• Maritime boundaries exist in the context of territorial waters; which indicates 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers; 14 miles) from the baseline, the coastal states are free to set laws, regulate and use any resource of Contiguous zones, Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), Continental Shelf and High Sea (UNCLOS: 1983).

Background

• The maritime delimitation of the Bay forms the subject of a long running dispute between three states: India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Continued Bangladesh and Myanmar In 1974, the Myanmar and Bangladesh signed “Agreed

Minutes” delimiting the maritime boundary in the territorial sea. Bangladesh submits that the Parties have conducted themselves in accordance with that boundary.

In 1974, Bangladesh also passed legislation delimiting territorial sea, EEZ and continental shelf boundaries with India and Myanmar constituted by parallel lines extending southward along meridians of longitude

“Friendship Line” -Bangladesh submits that between 1979 and 2005, Myanmar’s conduct was in accordance with a proposed EEZ and continental shelf boundary in the Bay of Bengal.

Continued• Bangladesh and India Though the Tribunal in Hamburg awarded 111,631 sq km

area of the Bay of Bengal to Bangladesh; some part of it was claimed by India on a 162 degree azimuth line from the mouth of Hariabhanga estuary.

We argued on natural prolongation stated as per article 76 of UNCLOS III on the basis of bathymetric map of the Bengal depositional system.

The verdict given by the PCA in The Hague on maritime disputes between India & Bangladesh, on 7 July 2014. According to the verdict, Bangladesh lost 6,135 sq km only, out of India’s claim on 25,602 sq km of area.

Prospects  30 million Bangladeshi directly depend on oceanic

economic activities like fisheries and commercial transportation.

Bangladesh's economy is sea borne to a good extent and with $130 billion GDP the country's economy stands the 44th.

Globally 350 million jobs are linked to marine fisheries, with 90 per cent of fishers living in developing countries. The value of fish traded by developing countries is estimated at $25 billion, making it their largest single trade item. Global catch rose from four million tones in 1900 to 86.7 million tones in 2000, but has stagnated subsequently.

Continued International tourism has grown from 25 million in 1950 and

1,035 million in 2012 and WTO forecasts of 1.8 billion further growth in 2030.

The global market for marine biotechnology products and processes is currently estimated at $2.8 billion by 2017. Marine biotech has the potential to address a suite of global challenges such as sustainable food supplies, human health, energy security and environmental remediation.

Eighty per cent of global trade by volume, and over 70 per cent by value, is carried by sea and handled by ports worldwide. For developing countries these percentages are typically higher.

Continued In 2009 offshore fields account for 32 per cent of worldwide

crude oil production and this is projected to rise to 34 per cent in 2025 and higher subsequently, as almost half the remaining recoverable conventional oil is estimated to be in offshore fields a quarter of that in deep water.

At present, around 600 ships arrive in Bangladesh per year and anchor in the ports of Chittagong and Mongla. With this new opening of Blue Economy, obviously, a huge number of ships will anchor in the ports of Bangladesh, and earning from this sector is likely to increase tremendously.

Challenges Whatever we gain is unquestionably positive for

Bangladesh. Having said this, the prime concern is how much we will be able to utilize our sea bed resources. The prime challenges of Maritime Boundary of Bangladesh are given below:

Ensuring the sovereignty over the total coastal area. Maintaining the security over the economic area. Establishing marine friendly infrastructure for marine

tourist The country's policies on maritime issues need to have

proper continuity. It is important to give the international community a strong message about our national priorities with regard to maritime and related issues.

Sustainable use of biodiversity. Maintaining marine and coastal ecosystems. Preserving mangrove and sea grass. Maintaining sea level rise and change in ecosystem and

temperatures, from coral bleaching. Addressing ocean acidification and blue carbon. Keeping the sea area free from pollution and marine debris.

Continued

Conclusion To sum up, we would like to term the verdict of maritime

demarcation as the peaceful settlement of a long term dispute between Bangladesh and its neighboring countries. The outcome of these cases is a balanced one where neither party won or lost completely. It is the success of both countries and the victory of international law. It can also be taken as our geo-political victory because by this verdict we have got absolute sovereignty on 12 nm from the sea baseline which is strategically most important in South Asian region. Whatever we have, we are not able to consume maximum of it because of our technological and strategic weaknesses. Proper utilization of our natural resources is the demand of the time.

THANK YOU