Outer Continental Shelf Delimitation in the Western Caribbean Sea (Nicaragua v. Colombia II)

Abstract

The controversy between Nicaragua and Colombia before the ICJ now concerns maritime delimitation beyond 200 nm. One of the main legal issues in this case is whether international law allows for delimitation to take place where alternative bases of continental shelf entitlement, namely, natural prolongation and distance, are opposed. As alleged by Nicaragua, its natural prolongation extends beyond 200 nm and overlaps with Colombia’s distance-based continental shelf entitlement. Nicaragua endorses the principle of equal division and accordingly, advocates for the viability of maritime delimitation. In Colombia’s view, the distance criterion has priority and trumps natural prolongation. In this work, the author analyses the legal discourse already voiced on the occasion of the dispute in the East China Sea, in order to identify instances of parallelism and symbiotic contribution with the question of the delimitation of the continental shelf beyond 200 nm in the Western Caribbean Sea.