Emerging Technology and the Law of the Sea

"The advent of broad claims to maritime jurisdiction, most notably the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), has resulted in a proliferation of overlapping maritime claims and thus potential maritime boundaries, only around half of which have been resolved. It is recognized that the delimitation of maritime boundaries, in essence the determination of a line on the surface or the earth, has always had a strong technical dimension with a view to providing maritime jurisdictional clarity and certainty. It is also apparent that the predominant method of maritime boundary delimitation is the definition of equidistance or median lines between opposite and adjacent coastlines and baselines. Accordingly, the definition of baselines along the coast is a critical consideration as the geodetically robust construction of equidistance lines is ultimately dependent on the location of opposing baselines"--