The Siberian continental shelf soon to enlarge eastwards - then to the north

Next the government will provide the evidence for recognition of a major expansion of the internationally recognised continental shelf in the Arctic. 

'Russia has long been conducting systematic work on the proper clearance of its legal rights on the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast,' said Foreign Ministry official spokesman  Alexander Lukashevich.

'Soon, Russia plans to submit a presentation to the Commission for Continental Shelf Delimitation regarding the shelf in the central part of the Sea of Okhotsk, and in the next year or two, regarding the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean.'

Currently there are no international disputes on continental shelf delimitation in the Arctic, he said. 

'The rights of a coastal state to the continental shelf are proven not in a scholastic dispute, but by presenting completely concrete scientific data. Russia will undertake diligent work on the scientific substantiation of its rights to the continental shelf, and we are confident that the delimitation commission will support its results.'

He stressed: 'The Russian side thoroughly prepares scientific substantiation of its right to the continental shelf, and we are sure that the results will be supported by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. There are recognized experts and scientists on the Commission.'

Russia stands to expand its borders by 1.2 million square kilometres, an area equivalent to the size of South Africa. 

The Arctic Shelf may contain up to 5 billion tonnes of hydrocarbon resources.

The basis of the Russian case for expanding the country's territorial waters are the continental nature of the Lomonosov Ridge and the Mendeleev Rise, which are seen as extensions of the East Siberian land mass. 

Other countries are also applying for an expansion of their rights in the Arctic, notably Canada, the US, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark (Greenland).