| Govt in bid to extend continental shelf |
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| Written by Staff Reporters | |
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In efforts to extend its continental shelf, Namibia is set to approach the United Nations by May next year. Cabinet has realised the benefits that can be derived from an extended continental shelf and has since mandated the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement to enable the country to meet all the requirements needed for the submission, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology said this week.
In November last year, the country concluded an
agreement with the Brazilian Navy for assistance with the third phase
of the project, which involves the submission of Namibia’s claim to the
United Nations.
“This phase includes a review of all literature that could affect Namibia’s submission; the passing on of knowledge to the Namibian defence team to enable the team to respond to queries and the revision of submission based on findings after the draft was made,” the ministry said. To defend Namibia’s submission at the UN Commission, the team will have to be able to handle and access submission data, memorise Article 76 of the Law of the Sea and gain knowledge on submarine features and the continental margins of the world. The United Nations has requested Namibia to host a five-day training workshop at the end of this month, which will cover all aspects related to the preparations and submissions of coastal states on their claims on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to the UN Commission. Approximately 60 people will attend the workshop. The submission was prepared on behalf of Namibia by the Naval Hydrographic Institute of the Brazilian government in Niteroy, Rio de Janeiro. The survey of the continental shelf was needed to determine the extent of underwater territory Namibia can claim as additional sea territory. The continental shelf is that part of the ocean floor that is generally shallower than the deep sea and that corresponds more or less to the outline of the continent. The width of the continental shelf may vary considerably, being relatively narrow where the ocean bed falls away closer to land, or may extend for several hundred kilometres, for instance, in Namibia’s case, at the Walvis Ridge. This is an underwater plateau that extends far into the south Atlantic. Several definitions apply when it comes to determine the contours of the continental shelf, and depending on the technical aspects of the submission, the Limits Commission may approve all or only part of the claim. If Namibia is successful in its full claim, it will add more than a million square kilometres to the country. If only successful with the minimum claim, the country’s sea territory will still be extended by just less than 300,000 square kilometres. In effect, this means that eventually Namibia’s sea territory could be bigger than the country itself. Namibia’s land surface is just over 824 thousand square kilometres. The survey done by the Brazilian navy has charted the entire continental shelf from Kunene to a point some 350 km south of Oranjemund. Strong indications exist for the abundant presence of untapped natural resources in this zone. Extended judicial rights over its sea territory would allow Namibia to increase its area of exploitation of fishery resources, diamonds and hydrocarbons (oil and gas). The project is expected to help the government assess the viability of submitting a claim to extend its sea territory beyond the 200 nautical mile EEZ limit. |
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