Natural prolongation

A legal concept introduced in maritime claims submitted to the United Nations. It is a concept where a nation's maritime boundaries should reflect the 'natural prolongation' of where it's land territory reaches the coast. It was essentially designed to settle disputes where adjoining nations were on the same contiguous shelf. Brought into existence in 1969 in the "North Sea Continental Cases" it usefulness eventually declined as UNCLOS III was taking shape. The "Malta/Libya Case" in 1985 is marked as the eventual demise of the 'natural prolongation' clause being used in delimiting between adjoining national maritime boundaries.

References

*Kaye, S. 1995. "Australia's maritime boundaries." Centre for Maritime Policy, University of Wollongong, Wollongong.

*Highet, K. 1989. "Whatever became of natural prolongation." Pages 87-100 in D. G. Dallmeyer and J. L. DeVorsey, eds. Rights to oceanic resources : deciding and drawing maritime boundaries. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.

*Francalanci, G., and T. Scovazzi, eds. 1994. "Lines in the Sea." Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Netherlands.