Exclusive Economic Zone (India)

Exclusive Economic Zone (India)
Name	India EEZ
Caption	Map showing Indian Ocean region near India
Area km2	2,305,143
Established	1976 (continental shelf claims), 1977 (EEZ claim)
Coordinates	20°N 78°E

Exclusive Economic Zone (India) India's exclusive economic zone covers approximately 2.3 million square kilometres of the Indian Ocean, surrounding the Indian subcontinent and maritime approaches to the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, and Laccadive Sea. It forms a crucial component of India's maritime boundaries with neighbouring states such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Thailand and interfaces with international regimes including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

Geography and extent

India's maritime zone extends from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the east to the Lakshadweep in the west and includes waters off the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Strait, Gulf of Kutch, and the Maldives approaches. The EEZ adjoins the continental shelves of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand and lies within the broader Indian Ocean Region that connects strategic chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, and Strait of Malacca. India's outer limits incorporate claims overlapping continental shelf delineations similar to those adjudicated in disputes involving Bangladesh v. India and resolutions informed by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Legal framework and delimitation

India's EEZ is governed by national legislation such as the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and Other Maritime Zones Act, 1976 and interpretations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which India is a party. Delimitation of maritime boundaries has been conducted through bilateral negotiations and adjudications, including maritime boundary agreements with Sri Lanka and judicial settlements like the Bangladesh v. Myanmar and Bangladesh v. India cases at the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. India engages in technical submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for extended continental shelf claims and cooperates with regional instruments such as the Nairobi Convention and the Indian Ocean Rim Association to resolve overlapping claims.

Governance and administration

Administration of India's EEZ involves multiple agencies including the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Directorate General of Shipping, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Regulatory functions are exercised by organizations such as the Fisheries Survey of India, Marine Products Export Development Authority, and the National Institute of Ocean Technology. Enforcement mechanisms rely on assets like INS Vikramaditya, INS Arihant, patrol vessels acquired under programs with shipbuilders like Mazagon Dock Limited and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, and coordinated operations under frameworks such as the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region and cooperative patrols with partners including the United States Navy, Royal Navy, French Navy, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Economic activities and resources

The EEZ supports fisheries harvested by communities from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, and West Bengal and processed by clusters in Visakhapatnam and Kochi. Hydrocarbon exploration in basins such as the Mumbai High, Krishna-Godavari Basin, and Cauvery Basin has been undertaken by companies including Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Reliance Industries, and ONGC Videsh. Seabed minerals, polymetallic nodules and rare earth elements attract interest from entities like the National Institute of Ocean Technology and international firms, under regulations influenced by the International Seabed Authority regime. Offshore wind and tidal energy projects explore potential around Pondicherry and the Konkan coast, while ports such as Chennai Port, Mumbai Port, Kandla, Mundra, and Kolkata Port facilitate blue economy activities including shipping handled by the Shipping Corporation of India and merchant fleets registered under the Indian Register of Shipping.

Security and strategic significance

India's EEZ is central to strategic considerations involving the Indian Navy's force posture, Maritime Doctrine (India), and concepts like Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR). Control of sea lines of communication linking Middle East energy supplies, trade routes to East Asia, and access to the Malacca Strait informs engagements with partners via exercises such as Malabar (naval exercise), Varuna (naval exercise), and MILAN (exercise). Threats include piracy in the Gulf of Aden, submarine activity by regional powers like the People's Liberation Army Navy, and asymmetric challenges addressed by platforms including INS Arihant class submarines, P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, and multilayered surveillance from satellites like Cartosat and platforms managed by Indian Space Research Organisation.

Environmental management and conservation

Conservation within the EEZ is guided by statutes and institutions such as the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the National Biodiversity Authority, complemented by protected areas like the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park and the Sundarbans National Park adjacent to EEZ waters. Pollution control follows protocols under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), regional agreements coordinated through the Indian Ocean Rim Association and scientific monitoring by the National Centre for Coastal Research and Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. Climate-driven challenges affecting coral reefs in the Lakshadweep Islands, mangroves in the Sundarbans, and shifting fish stocks prompt collaborations with international bodies including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Food and Agriculture Organization, and bilateral conservation projects with Australia, Japan, and France.

Category:Indian Ocean Category:Maritime zones