UN approves Commonwealth continental shelf limits

Final continental shelf territory borders could be ready this year

The UN-run Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in New York has approved the Commonwealth of Denmark’s submission regarding continental shelf rights limits.

The CLCS has approved the Danish Commonwealth’s claims to a seabed area that covers 87,792 square kilometres outside the 200 nautical mile limit north of the Faroe Islands.  

“Submissions by Norway and Iceland overlap the area awarded, but the three nations agreed in 2006 to a division formula that will be used during the final drawing up of territory borders when the CLCS has processed all three submissions,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted in a press release.

READ MORE: Denmark makes new claim for Arctic seafloor

Finalised this year
The Danish Commonwealth submitted its demand back in 2009 and the CLCS began processing the case in 2012. Four Danish Commonwealth delegations have made trips to New York to answer questions regarding the issue.

Norway’s submission was processed in 2009 and Iceland’s is expected to be ready sometime this year, which means a final continental shelf border should be established in the near future.




Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.