In the North Sea, there exists a comprehensive network of continental shelf boundaries – something that can be attributed to the positive and close relationships between the littoral states as well as their urgent desire to gain access to seabed resources. Chronologically, delimitation activity was at its most intense in the period 1965 to 1972. David Anderson distinguishes between two types of delimitation. Firstly, those delimitations which were based on the principle contained in Article 6 of the Convention on the Continental Shelf of 1958 and were largely concluded in the period 1965 to 1968 shortly after the Convention on the Continental Shelf came into force in June 1964. Anderson places the following agreements in this category: Norway and the UK (1965 and 1978), Denmark and Norway (1965 and 1979), Norway and Sweden (1968), Denmark and the UK (1966 and 1971), The Netherlands and the UK (1965 and 1971).The second group identified consists of the multiple agreements that were either altered or inspired as a consequence of the North Sea Continental Shelf cases of 1969 and subsequent cases and are therefore based on the concept of equitable principles. The North Sea Continental Shelf cases helped to relieve Germany from the geographical disadvantage its generally concave coastline gave it when delimitations on the basis of equidistance were proposed. This group of delimitation agreements include those achieved between Germany and The Netherlands (1962, 1964, 1967 and 1971), Denmark and Germany (1965, 1967, 1969 and 1974), Denmark and The Netherlands (1966), Germany and the UK (1971), Belgium and the Netherlands (1996), and the abovementioned agreements between Belgium and France (1990) and between Belgium and the UK (1991). It is also worth noting that the perceived economic potential of the area in dispute may prove a critical factor in both encouraging the parties to negotiate and, conversely, discouraging them from compromise. In this context Prescott citesBritain and Germany's experience in the 1880s in relation to long drawn out negotiations over a comparatively small coastal area on what is now the Cameroon- Nigeria boundary. Neither side would contemplate compromise over the disputed territory as it ‘might prove to be an Eldorado or a worthless swamp' Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Federal Republic of Germany relating to the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf under the North Sea between the two Countries 25 November 1971Download ger-GBDownload United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone UK-great britain straight baseline-internal waters-territorial waters Germany straight baseline-internal waters-territorial waters on the north sea German Exclusive Economic Zone The North Sea region is bordered by a number of strong economies: France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway (non-EU member but a member of the European Economic Area) and the United Kingdom (England and Scotland) (non-EU member), and is one of the most heavily used seas with extensive shipping, fishing, energy (hydrocarbon and offshore wind), aggregate extraction, defence, recreation and it also includes 2 of the world's largest ports (Rotterdam and Hamburg). The Blue Growth potential of the North Sea…
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