Bangladesh Lodges Submission to UN on Limits of Its Outer Continental Shelf in Bay

On Thursday, Bangladesh lodged an amended submission to the United Nations on the limits of its outer continental shelf in the Bay of Bengal.

The submission was formally handed over to the United Nations by the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, Ambassador Rabab Fatima to Dmitry Gonchar, Acting Director of the Division of Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS), reports UNB.

Fatima Fatima, while handing over the Executive Summary of the Submission, expressed the hope that the amended submission would be included on the Commission's agenda at its next session, said the Bangladesh Mission on Friday.

It also pointed out that the determination of the outer continental shelf will allow Bangladesh to explore and use the natural resources of the seabed and subsoil in these areas.

The original submission to the CLCS was made on February 25, 2011.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, Bangladesh's maritime boundaries with Myanmar and India were delineated in 2012 and 2014 through the international adjudication process.

The amended submission has been made to reflect the successful outcome of these international processes.

Subsequently, as a rule, a sub-committee will be set up to review the information presented by Bangladesh and, upon satisfaction, make the requisite recommendations on the limits of Bangladesh's external continental shelf in the Bay.

The revised submission was prepared by an expert team led by the Maritime Affairs Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the help of local and international experts.