"On 3 August 2015, the Russian Federation submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, in accordance with Article 76, paragraph 8, of the Convention, and with reference to its Submission of 20 December 2001, information on the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of its territorial sea is measured in respect of the Arctic Ocean" the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS)'s website reported yesterday.
Russia, for which UNCLOS entered into force on April 1997, submitted its first documentation to claim part of the Arctic Ocean continental shelf on 20 December 2001. On 27 June 2002, the Commission adopted the "Recommendations of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in regard to the Submission made by the Russian Federation on 20 December 2001", which required Russia to submit additional information, and specifically:
154/166. The Commission recommends that the Russian Federation make a revised submission in respect of its extended continental shelf in the Central Arctic Ocean based on the findings contained in these recommendations.
155/167. The Commission recommends that the Russian Federation follow the scientific and technical advice contained in its Scientific and Technical Guidelines, and as indicated in the various sections of these Recommendations of the Commission.
156/168. The Commission recommends that according to the materials provided in the submission the Lomonosov Ridge cannot be considered a submarine elevation under the Convention.
157/169. The Commission recommends that, according to the current state of scientific knowledge, the Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge Complex cannot be considered a submarine elevation under the Convention
Consideration of the partial submission made by the Russian Federation will be included in the provisional agenda of the next ordinary session of the Commission prepared in accordance with rule 5 and paragraph 2 of annex III to the Rules of Procedure of the Commission.
Other 2 Arctic States with claimed territories of the Arctic continental shelf, namely Norway and Denmark on behalf of Greenland have submitted their documentations to the CLCS, while Canada is expected to submit it anytime soon. As reported on the Russian's document (executive summary) submitted on Monday, the overlaps with other states' claims are:
Kingdom of Norway
The Kingdom of Norway and the Russian Federation have held bilateral consultations on delimitation of the areas comprising the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in the Barents Sea, as well as in the western Nansen Basin in the Arctic Ocean.[...]The issue of maritime delimitation in the Barents Sea and Arctic Ocean between the Russian Federationand the Kingdom of Norway was settled with the entry into force on July 7, 2011 of the Treaty between the
Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Norway on Maritime Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean of September 15, 2010.
United States of America
Under the Agreement between the USSR and the USA of June 1, 1990, the Parties delimited the territorial sea, economic zones, and continental shelf in the Chukchi and Bering seas, as well as in the Arctic and Pacific oceans. The United States ratified this Agreement; the Russian Federation applies it provisionally from the date of signature to present.
Kingdom of Denmark
The claimed areas in the Submission of the Kingdom of Denmark in respect of the continental shelf north of Greenland substantially overlap the areas included in this partial Submission. In particular, it concerns the polar region of the Arctic Ocean and parts of the Lomonosov ridge. The Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Denmark held consultations on the issue and agreed on the following
Canada
Canada's upcoming Submission may relate to the areas in the Arctic Ocean included in this partial Submission.
Read the Executive Summary of Russian Federation's Submission here.
(source: CLCS)