Page "International Seabed Authority" Paragraph 17

In its preamble, UNCLOS defines the international seabed area — the part under ISA jurisdiction — as “ the seabed and ocean floor and the subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction ”.

There are no maps annexed to the Convention to delineate this area.

Rather, UNCLOS outlines the areas of national jurisdiction, leaving the rest for the international portion.

National jurisdiction over the seabed normally leaves off at seaward from baselines running along the shore, unless a nation can demonstrate that its continental shelf is naturally prolonged beyond that limit, in which case it may claim up to.

ISA has no role in determining this boundary.

Rather, this task is left to another body established by UNCLOS, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, which examines scientific data submitted by coastal states that claim a broader reach.

Maritime boundaries between states are generally decided by bilateral negotiation ( sometimes with the aid of judicial bodies ), not by ISA.