On consistent criteria to delineate the outer limits of the Continental Shelf (or ECS: Extended Continental Shelf) out of the formulae lines

This presentation is to discuss supplemental unambiguous procedural ECS delineating rules to the criteria defined in the 'United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea' (the Convention) and the 'Scientific and the Technical Guidelines of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf' (the Guidelines 1999). Both the EEZ and the ECS are the lines of limits of Continental Shelf (Article 76 of the Convention), but the most significant difference between them is that EEZ are defined as continuous envelope lines, on the other hand, ECS are piece-wise segments (shortcuts hereinafter) connected between finite number of points called 'fixed points' and each distance of shortcut should be less than 60 M (the Convention). This difference may be causing seemingly inconsistent results in the recommendations among the coastal states. There are 66 submissions from the coastal states and 18 of them have received their recommendations as of June 24, 2013. Comparing and studying summaries of the recommendations available (http://www.un.org/depts/los/clcs_new/commission_submissions.htm), we recognize some inconsistencies between recommendations. To minimize the inconsistencies we have devised a couple of supplemental rules and its implementation guidance to compose the formulae lines (connecting fixed points) in the last step of defining the ECS. The two rules are: 1) any two fixed points separated less than 60 M can be chosen to create a shortcut, 2) no shortcut line should cross each other. If shortcuts create a closed area which is not self-apparent to be inside or outside of the ECS, then 3) the implementation guidance defines if the either side of the area divided by the shortcuts is inside of the ECS or not by further applying 1)&2) to check if the area is completely covered with shortcuts. We cannot prove the rules and guidance above are unique or the optimal solution for the seeming problem we found, but we solicit sincere discussion on site.