With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements: 1. A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention. 2. Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea. 3. The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea in measure. Which of the statements given above are correct?

QUESTION

Medium

International Relations

Prelims 2022

With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements:

A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention.
Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea in measure.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

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Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: UNCLOS allows coastal states to define the breadth of their territorial sea up to a limit of 12 nautical miles, measured from a baseline established according to the Convention.

Statement 2 is correct: UNCLOS guarantees the right of innocent passage for ships of all states, including coastal and land-locked nations, through the territorial sea of another state. Innocent passage refers to non-threatening travel that doesn't harm the coastal state's security or interests.

Statement 3 is correct: UNCLOS sets the limit of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) at 200 nautical miles from the baseline used to measure the territorial sea. The EEZ grants the coastal state exclusive rights to explore, exploit, conserve and manage resources (living and non-living) within the zone.