Bangladesh claims for straight baselines in measuring the breadth of the territorial sea

pursuant to article 16, paragraph 2 of the Convention, of a list of geographical coordinates of points concerning the straight baselines for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea of Bangladesh, as contained in the notification S.R.O. No. 328-Law/2015/MOFA/UNCLOS/113/2/15, dated 4 November 2015

Potential Consequences for Bangladesh

As already mentioned, according to the UNCLOS-III, the total sea area of Bangladesh is approximately 2, 07,000 square kilometers, 1.4 times greater than its total land area. If Myanmar and India’s claims are established, it has been reported that, the claim of Myanmar will likely to grab 29,000 sq. nautical miles of Bangladesh and another 22,000 sq. nautical miles will be seized by Indiax
.
Such a postulation carries a significant and profound implication for a weak and least-developed state
like Bangladesh:

1. Bangladesh is a resource-deficit country with a small land territory, replete with
   bourgeoning population, disproportionate to its land resources. The only resource prospect
   remains for this country is in the Bay of Bengal. But the failure in wining the case and
   retaining its maritime boundary will jeopradise the destiny of more than 162 million
   peoplexi. The vital fact about the continental shelves and the EEZ is that they are rich in oil
   and gas resources and most importantly, precious Poly-metallic nodules, which lie on the
   seabed at 4,000 to 6,000 metres deep and quite often, are host to abundant stock of mineral
   resources, fish, and renewable energies.
2. Having been choked up from three sides, Bangladesh gets hold only of a bit of strip in the
   Bay of Bengal for the passage to the rest of the world. By harnessing and advancing trade
   and investment, definitely, this sea line of communication (SLOC) pays enormous
   contribution to its struggling economy. However, the encroachment of its maritime borders will certainly leave it zone-locked and perforce, it will be denied its recognition as a maritime state.

3. The politics in this uncertain world appears with different façades in different historical
   junctures. Today’s ally is foe of tomorrow and vice versa. For that reason, the maritime
   areas and passages of Bangladesh bear both war and peace-time significance. A zonelocked Bangladesh will likely to be petrified and vulnerable should a crisis erupt.
4. It is not only her economic future but also her sovereignty that are being challenged. To
   survive as a sovereign state, an assertive mode for the state is crucial. Bangladesh will lose its
   ‘position of strength’ in relation to bargaining with regional and global powers and among
   international community.
5. As predicted by climate scientists, an imminent climate disaster will likely pose human
   catastrophe in Bangladesh that will displace millions of people across the country. To adapt
   to such a situation, the maritime areas of Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal carry a potential
   in terms of deposition of land through the process of sediment gathering somewhere across
   Bangladesh coast and in terms of resources available to feed this huge human turnout.

What is blue economy in Bangladesh?
The blue economy is a term used todescribe the sustainable use of marine resources. It covers economic activities such as fishing, aquaculture, and tourism that depend on healthy oceans and seas but also includes new industries like biotechnology and maritime transport.

What is the name of India and Bangladesh border line?
The Bangladesh–India border, known locally asthe International Border (IB), is an international border running between Bangladesh and India that demarcates the eight divisions of Bangladesh and the Indian states.