WASHINGTON, DC – Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency, Stephen Vasciannie, says the Caribbean Sea is, in effect, owned by the neighbouring States that encircle the semi-enclosed sea of the Caribbean.
Ambassador Vasciannie, who delivered the keynote lecture at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington DC, was addressing the question, “Who owns the Caribbean Sea?” as he set out the main rules in the Law of the Sea Convention dealing with ownership of living and non-living resources.
He noted that, in the Law of the Sea, ownership was determined mainly by the distance principle.
“Countries own parts of the sea on the basis of proximity. So, for example, Jamaica’s territorial sea is that part of the Caribbean Sea stretching 12 miles from the country’ baseline,” Ambassador Vasciannie explained.
He also considered the rules relating to the various zones of the Caribbean Sea, and discussed maritime cases concerning the Caribbean.
In the course of the presentation, Ambassador Vasciannie expanded on the ownership features inherent in each of the modern zones of the sea and emphasized that in their internal waters and territorial seas, each Caribbean country had strong ownership rights. He also noted that when the coastal State has ownership rights, it also has duties with respect to the waters in question.
Ambassador of Jamaica to the United States, His Excellency Stephen Vasciannie delivers a lecture on “Who Owns the Caribbean Sea”.(Photo credit: Derrick A. Scott)
The Ambassador also pointed out certain features of the Caribbean Sea, a semi-enclosed sea within the terms of the Law of the Sea Convention. These features include a significant number of archipelagic States, several sovereign States bordering in close proximity to each other, and limited fish stocks in some areas close to particular coastal States.
“Because most States in the Caribbean Sea are close to others, they cannot normally claim a full Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 miles width”, the Ambassador pointed out. “And this is important, for the Exclusive Economic Zone contemplates full ownership rights over non-living resources (e.g. oil), and significant ownership rights over living resources,” Ambassador Vasciannie noted. The Ambassador also reviewed aspects of the Law of the Sea Convention concerning the movement of nuclear waste through the Caribbean Sea, and also pointed out that the Caribbean Sea has several archipelagic States which have special status in the law of the sea.
At the Lecture, Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank for the Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Kurt Kisto, issued a call for greater protection of the global commons and for greater concern for the sea.
President and founder or the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS), Dr. Claire Nelson (right) has the rapt attention of (l-r) Ambassador of Jamaica to the United States, His Excellency Stephen Vasciannie and Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank for the Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Kurt Kisto at the Inter-American Bank (IDB) headquarters prior to a lecture presented by Ambassador Vasciannie on “Who Owns the Caribbean Sea”, on Thursday, November 8, 2012. (Photo credit: Derrick A. Scott)
This position was supported by Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Ambassador Albert Ramdin, who raised questions concerning pollution, maritime cooperation and nuclear transshipment at the Lecture.
The Forum was organized by the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS), the IDB and a number of Caribbean Embassies to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention.
According to the President and founder of the ICS, Dr. Claire Nelson, the forum brought into focus a critical question facing the countries that rim the Caribbean Basin.
She said that while most often CARICOM countries take center stage in the discussion of all things Caribbean, the reality is for matters pertaining to the Caribbean sea, there are 32 countries, territories and dependencies that ‘own’ the Caribbean Sea.
Dr. Nelson indicated that the Institute would be undertaking other activities to mark the 30th Anniversary.
