Lesson 3/34 min
Maritime victories: 2012 and 2014
The two rulings at a glance
| Item | With Myanmar | With India |
|---|---|---|
| Court | International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), Hamburg, Germany | Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the Netherlands |
| Date of ruling | 14 March 2012 | 7 July 2014 |
| Disputed area | — | 25,602 sq km |
| Bangladesh gets | 111,631 sq km (Khandokar) | 19,467 sq km |
| India gets (Zubair) | — | 6,135 sq km |
Did you know?: 25,602 - 19,467 = 6,135: Bangladesh got roughly four-fifths of the disputed area.
Watch out: How much Bangladesh got in the Myanmar ruling: Khandokar says 111,631 sq km, other sources about 111,000-111,600, so the figure is not certain. The books give a total sea area of 118,813 sq km for both rulings together, which does not match 111,631 + 19,467; no explanation was found. The date 7 July 2014 for the India award is confirmed (some reports date the announcement 8 July).
What the rulings secured (Khandokar)
- A total sea area of 118,813 sq km
- A 12 nautical-mile territorial sea and a 200 nautical-mile EEZ
- Sovereign rights over living and non-living resources of the shelf bed up to 354 nautical miles from the Chattogram coast
- In Zubair's words: the maritime limit won against Myanmar in 2012 and against India in 2014
South Talpatti island
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Location | Satkhira, mouth of the Hariabhanga river |
| Appearance | After the 1970 Bhola cyclone (the book says ‘discovered 1970’) |
| India's name | New Moore or Purbasha |
| Fate | Sank in 2010 as the sea level rose |
Check yourself
How much sea area did Bangladesh get in the Bangladesh-India dispute?
At a glance
- 1
Myanmar maritime ruling: 14 March 2012, ITLOS, Hamburg.
- 2
India ruling: 7 July 2014, PCA, the Netherlands.
- 3
Disputed 25,602 sq km; Bangladesh 19,467, India 6,135.
- 4
Total sea area for both rulings 118,813 sq km (books).
- 5
South Talpatti island sank into the sea in 2010.