MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay will request extension of continental platform to 350 miles

Minister Fernandez: “Full support for the government’s position”

Uruguay has made official the intention of extending its continental platform from 200 to 350 miles as contemplated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Foreign Affairs minister Gonzalo Fernandez informed all Uruguayan political parties with legislative representation of the government’s objective.

Presidential hopefuls from the main opposition party supported the initiative and praised the government for keeping all political groups informed.

“We must all support the initiative and praise the government for its positive attitude of informing the opposition” said former president Luis Alberto Lacalle who is also a pre-candidate for the coming June primaries when Uruguayan political parties must choose an only ticket for October’s presidential election.

“This is a national issue which must be made public since the country has the chance of expanding enormously”, added Lacalle. Extending the sea bed “we will have access to mineral and energy resources essential for the coming generations”.

Under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea coastal countries can extend their continental shelf from 200 to 350 nautical miles but must first present their cases supported by legal and scientific evidence for which there’s a deadline next May.

Under the UN Law of the Sea the continental shelf is defined as the natural prolongation of the land territory to the continental margin’s outer edge, or 200 nautical miles from the coastal state’s baseline whichever is greater.

State’s continental shelf may exceed 200 nautical miles until the natural prolongation ends. However, it may never exceed 350 nautical miles from the baseline; or it may never exceed 100 nautical miles beyond the 2,500 meter iso-bath (the line connecting the depth of 2,500 meters).

Coastal states have the right to harvest mineral and non-living material in the subsoil of its continental shelf, to the exclusion of others. Coastal states also have exclusive control over living resources “attached” to the continental shelf, but not to creatures living in the water column beyond the exclusive economic zone.

Mr. Fernandez said Uruguay had completed collecting the necessary data to support its sea bed extension claim and will in the near future share the information with the opposition.