Claimed Entitlement to Outer Continental Shelf North of the Faroe Islands recognised by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf

The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), a United Nations treaty organ established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, recognised on 14 March 2014 the claimed entitlement of the Faroe Islands to an outer continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles north of the Faroe Islands.

The area covers 87,792 square kilometers of continental shelf and was submitted to the CLCS on 29 April 2009.

The CLCS endorsed the entire area claimed by the Government of Denmark together with the Government of the Faroes, and thereby confirming the sovereign rights of Denmark/Faroes to exercise sovereign rights in this area in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The neighbouring States of Norway and Iceland have overlapping claims to parts of the area in question. As a consequence of this, Denmark/Faroes, Iceland and Norway agreed in 2006 to a prospective procedure on how to delimit the area of mutual interest.

A prerequisite for making effective this agreement is that the CLCS endorses each State’s submission to the relevant area. Norway received its relevant recommendations in March 2009. Denmark/Faroes and Norway now await the completion of the submission of Iceland, which is currently pending, in order to finalise the three bilateral delimitation agreements.

For more information, contact Páll Holm Johannesen, communication advisor, pall@tinganes.fo or +298 551040