Context:
India has submitted a modified claim to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its Extended Continental Shelf in the Central Arabian Sea by nearly 10,000 square kilometers.
India’s Maritime Claims and Continental Shelf Expansion
- Coastal nations are entitled to an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), extending up to 200 nautical miles from their coastlines.
- Within EEZ, countries enjoy exclusive rights to exploit marine resources, including fishing, oil exploration, and mineral extraction such as polymetallic nodules.
India currently possesses:
- 12 nautical miles of territorial waters
- 200 nautical miles of EEZ, measured from its official baselines
• According to the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, India may soon add approximately 1.2 million square km of extended continental shelf, bringing the total seabed and sub-seabed area to nearly match its landmass of 3.274 million square km.
India’s Continental Shelf Claims
- India first submitted its extended continental shelf claim in 2009, covering regions in the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Sea.
- Due to overlapping geological features, these claims often intersect with neighbouring countries’ claims, leading to lengthy verification processes by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS).
Western Claim Dispute
- In 2021, Pakistan objected to India’s western offshore claim, citing a 100-nautical-mile overlap in a disputed maritime zone near Sir Creek (Rann of Kutch, Gujarat).
- In March 2023, the CLCS rejected India’s entire claim in the Arabian Sea, but left room for resubmission of modified claims.
- In response, on 3rd April 2025, India split its original western claim into two partial claims, increasing the total claimed area by an additional 10,000 sq. km, based on new data.
India’s other continental shelf claims
- India has claimed about 300,000 sq. km in the Bay of Bengal and southern Indian Ocean, which face challenges from Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
- Parts of India’s shelf claims also overlap with Oman, but both countries have had a mutual understanding since 2010 stating that the area is not under dispute, despite the delimitation being pending
Extended continental shelf
- The continental shelf is the submerged part of a continent, extending from the coastline towards the deep ocean floor.
- It’s defined by the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond a coastal state’s territorial sea.
- The extended continental shelf, or ECS, refers to that portion of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast.
Determining the Outer Limits of the ECS
- The outer limits of the ECS, however, depend on the geophysical characteristics of the seabed and subsoil. ECS limits are determined using complex provisions set forth under Article 76 of the Convention
- A coastal State can use one of two formulas in any combination to determine the outer edge of its continental margin
Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS)
- Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (the Commission or CLCS) established in 1997.
- It aims to facilitate 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.
- It’s composed of 21 members, who are experts in geology, geophysics, or hydrography, elected by UNCLOS member states
- (CLCS) is headquartered at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
UPSC Mains Practice Question
Q: Discuss the strategic and economic significance of India’s efforts to extend its continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In this context, analyze the role of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS).