Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to demarcate their disputed border

Thursday, July 22, 2010    

ABU DHABI — Two leading Gulf Arab states have agreed to demarcate their disputed border. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have agreed to a project that would demarcate their 250-kilometer border. The two countries have selected and signed a contract with a New Zealand firm to conduct the border delineation. "The contract was signed and maps will be drawn in accordance with extremely high standards," Kuwaiti Interior Deputy Undersecretary Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al Muhana said.

Al Muhana said New Zealand's NZ Aerial Mapping was awarded the contract to delineate the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. The general, who said several companies competed for the project, did not specify the value of the contract.

"The company will soon begin operations," Al Muhana, responsible for border security, said.

On July 20, the two Gulf Cooperation Council states concluded border talks in the Saudi port of Jedda, Middle East Newsline reported. The Saudi delegation was led by Maj. Gen. Zamim Al Sawat, director-general of the Saudi Border Guard.

Officials said both GCC states have formed technical teams to monitor the border demarcation. They said Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have enhanced military and security cooperation and were planning naval and other exercises over the next year.

Published in

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/me_gulf0693_07_22.asp

New Zealand Extended Continental Shelf

New Zealand’s right to approximately 1.7m square kilometres of extended continental shelf seabed has been confirmed by the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

The extended continental shelf is the shelf that extends beyond New Zealand’s 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

It is in addition to the approx four million square kilometres of seabed in the New Zealand EEZ. The extended continental shelf is about six times New Zealand’s total land area (about 270,000 square kilometres).

The New Zealand submission was the result of a 10-year, $44m project involving technical, scientific, legal and policy input from a range of New Zealand government agencies.

These include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), and Institute of Geological and Nuclear Science (GNS Science).

New Zealand lodged its submission with the UN Commission in 2006 in accordance with the procedures in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea [external link].

Over the past two years, a team of New Zealand officials (from MFAT and LINZ) and scientists (from NIWA and GNS Science) have met four times with a special sub-commission set up to consider the NZ submission.

New Zealand’s team answered questions and provided further information on New Zealand’s continental shelf.

The Commission issued its recommendations on 12 September (2008). It has endorsed more than 98 percent of New Zealand’s original submission.

New Zealand can now set the outer limits of its continental shelf on the basis of the Commission’s recommendations, subject to agreeing maritime boundaries with Fiji, Tonga and possibly France (in respect of New Caledonia) to the north.

It’s not yet known what natural resources might be on the extended New Zealand shelf. However, the process ensures New Zealand enjoys sovereign rights over them.

The New Zealand Government already earns more than $100 million per annum in royalties and other income from the seabed within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Australia’s extended continental shelf was confirmed by the UN Commission in April 2008, and is about the size of Western Australia – approx 2.5 million square kilometres.

• 
  Information on the Continental Shelf Project in the “New Zealand Continental Shelf Report” published by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) more
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  Information on the scientific work involved in the preparation of the New Zealand submission more

Published in

http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Features/NZs-extended-seabed-claim.php

New Zealand Continental Shelf Extension

September 5, 2008, 10:35 am

New Zealand could be on the verge of winning a territorial and economic bonanza, with word due any day on a claim to 1.6 million square kilometres of continental shelf.

The claim was lodged with the United Nations Law of the Sea Commission two years ago after a 10-year $44 million research project to work out the limits of the shelf.

If successful, New Zealand would gain jurisdiction over an area of seabed six times the size of its landmass, giving it control of potentially enormous mineral resources that lie on or under the seabed beyond the existing 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

It includes a large area in the Tasman called Lord Howe Rise, a block extending north into the Pacific Ocean towards Tonga and Fiji, an area skirting the Chathams Rise to the east, and additional areas to the far south.

Foreign Affairs Ministry legal adviser Gerard van Bohemen told The Dominion Post newspaper the commission was believed to have made its decision, and the ministry expected to hear any day.

Even with a favourable ruling, agreements on New Zealand shelf boundaries still had to be reached with Fiji and Tonga.

Undersea boundaries in the Tasman Sea and the southern oceans were agreed with Australia four years ago.

GNS Science ocean exploration chief Ray Wood said securing the shelf would be a huge benefit for New Zealand .

There could be large oil deposits on the Lord Howe and Chatham rises, gold and other valuable mineral deposits on the Three Kings Ridge to the north of New Zealand , and manganese nodules worth billions in the southern parts of the shelf.

"The real challenge for us now is to work out what we have and how we use it in the future," Dr Wood said.

Published in
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/4991767/ruling-bring-economic-bonanza-nz/