MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Breaking News.

FIG Research for Continental Sea Shelf

The Falkland Islands Government is currently interested in whether it can prove the existence of a continental shelf eastwards, from the Falklands to South Georgia. To do so will require expensive research, and a submission of evidence by 2005 or at the latest 2007. The research, if commissioned would be joint with South Georgia, but at a substantial cost to FIG. This has arisen because the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf or CLCS has been tasked by the United Nations to determine the rights of maritime states over the seabed, beyond their current 200-mile limits. CLCS is an international body of 21 scientists. They will be receiving evidence from countries around the world, and will have to decide how far each country's continental shelf extends into the ocean. The judgment will be based on the nature of the rocks on the shelf and the seabed and the depth of the water. This requires accurate seismic evidence and rock sampling. If the Commission accepts a submission about a continental shelf, it will give that country mineral rights over the shelf; all other areas will become the province of the International Sea Bed Authority. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office tasked the UK Hydrographic Office and Southampton Oceanography Centre to prepare a short, desktop, study for all the Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic. Councillors and officers of the Falkland Islands Government have recently received a presentation from Mr Chris Carelton of the UK Hydrographic Office and Dr Lindsay Parson of the Southampton Oceanography Centre on possible work around the Falklands and South Georgia. Now Councillors have asked for more technical details of the Southampton proposals, together with some analysis by British Geological Survey. Before any decision can be taken, FIG will be interested to learn how much of the considerable body of previous seismic research can be used, and just how sophisticated the seabed surveys need to be.

Update on Elisabeth Boye Visit.

Further to yesterday's report regarding the cargo vessel, the Elisabeth Boye, we can now reveal that this is her first visit to the Falklands car