Does UNCLOS apply to the Arctic?

UNCLOS, and its inclusion of Article 234 despite its lack of specificity regarding the Arctic, has sufficed to appease Arctic states for more than two decades. In practice, this does not mean that UNCLOS itself represents the sole framework for the Arctic.

Can you claim the Arctic?

Russia’s claim now covers some 70 percent of the seabed in the central parts of the Arctic Ocean and reaches to Canada and Greenland’s exclusive economic zones. Russia has formally enlarged its claim to the seabed in the Arctic Ocean all the way to Canada’s and Greenland’s exclusive economic zones.

How can countries claim right of ownership in the Arctic?

To stake a claim beyond their territorial waters, which stretches 12 nautical miles from shore, countries must prove the seabed is an extension of their continental shelf—part of the same land mass as their territory.

What countries have made claims to the Arctic?

Today, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Canada, Iceland and the USA each have territory that lies within the Arctic Circle. Having a claim in the Arctic, with its natural resources, tourism and research opportunities, can prove to be incredibly valuable for these countries.

Is the Arctic international waters?

Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the United States all regard parts of the Arctic seas as national waters (territorial waters out to 12 nautical miles (22 km)) or internal waters. There also are disputes regarding what passages constitute international seaways and rights to passage along them.

Is Russia part of UNCLOS?

Russia ratified UNCLOS on March 12, 1997and had until 2007 to file an extended shelf claim. It made a first submission to the Commission in 2001.

Who claims ownership of the Arctic?

So, who owns the Arctic? No one owns the North Pole, but every country with a border on the Arctic Ocean claims some of its waters. Because the North Pole is covered by an ice shelf and isn’t actually land, it is governed by the Law of the Sea, a 1982 U.N. treaty signed by more than 150 countries.

How can countries claim land in the Arctic?

On a map of the Arctic Circle, the current maritime borders leave an unclaimed triangle-shaped region of international waters that reaches across the North Pole and some of the Arctic ocean. Essentially, this territory is obtainable to any country that is able to prove that it belongs to them.

Why do countries want to claim the Arctic?

As polar sea ice has melted and opened new potential shipping lanes, the Arctic has become a new frontier where nations are seeking oil and natural gas reserves and preparing to defend them militarily, if necessary.

Can anyone own the Arctic?

Can a country claim the North Pole?

Current international law mandates that no single country owns the North Pole or the region of the Arctic Ocean that surrounds it.

Who owns the rights to the Arctic?

Can Russia exploit the Arctic sustainably?

Russia has vast oil and gas reserves in the Arctic, but is unable to exploit them due to sanctions, the technological shortcomings of state-owned companies Gazprom and Rosneft, and their unwillingness to cooperate with private Russian companies with the relevant experience.

Why does Russia not have sovereignty over the Arctic?

Russia’s claim of unhindered sovereignty has two concrete aspects: first, the definition of its Arctic territory; and second, the conditions under which ships are allowed to cross its Arctic waters. Most of the Arctic territories are not subject to contestation among states.