Classification of Seafloor Highs according to UNCLOS article 76. How the practice of the CLCS on seafloor highs relates to UNCLOS article 76 interpreted in accordance with articles 31 and 32 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

Abstract

When a coastal State wishes to establish the outer limits of its continental shelf, it is required to do so based on a recommendation by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The Commission consist of experts in the fields of geology, geophysics and hydrography, but the definition of the continental shelf is a legal concept constructed for the purpose of the Law of the Sea. There are several possible absolute limits to the legal continental shelf, as determined by article 76 of the Law of the Sea. Some of these are dependent on different seafloor high-types. The thesis will show how the Commission practice on the seafloor high issue relates to the legal interpretation of article 76 of the Law of the Sea.