ARTICLE 76 - BAHAMAS

 As a part of its assistance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the BNGIS Centre Hosted an UNCLOS ARTICLE 76 WORKSHOP, May 12, 2009, conducted by Fugro Pelagos, Inc., San Diego, California. Participants included The BNGIS Centre, Royal Bahamas Defense Force, College of The Bahamas, Department of Marine Resources.

The focus of the workshop was to conduct a desktop study for Article 76 and to allow the Centre’s technical staff and relevant agencies to get hands on experience with Article 76 software as well as to conduct a preliminary study on matters related to UNCLOS Article 76. This was necessary to begin the process of establishing the right of coastal states (such as The Bahamas) to determine the outer limits of the continental margin wherever the margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the country’s maritime baseline.

Course topic areas included a) the creation of the territorial sea baseline model b) Legal limit lines, c) Constraint lines, d) Formulae lines, e) preliminary outer limit line and f) final outer limit line.

Preliminary studies produced potential areas of claim to the outer limit of the continental shelf and beyond 200 nautical miles. As a result the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially submitted a preliminary scientific claim of the outer limits of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. In an online news media publication it was noted that “the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs called it a necessary step by which The Bahamas will extend its claim to the outer limit of the continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical miles, subject to negotiations with adjacent states.

For more information follow the link: http://www.un.org/depts/los/clcs_new/commission_preliminary.htm and select "Bahamas Preliminary Information".