Vol. 451 No. 3
30 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the steps, if any, he is taking to extend Ireland's sub-sea area as provided for under the UN Law of the Sea Convention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6505/95]
Article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea sets out the approach to be adopted by a State in defining the boundary of its Continental Shelf.
In our case we will lodge a claim which will be based on information confirmed by scientific investigations. This will involve the acquisition of seismic data by means of a multi-channel seismic survey. My Department has already gone to tender on this and expects to award the contract shortly. It is envisaged that the work will be carried out in four phases over four years, with the first phase commencing this summer. This will be followed by data interpretation and further data will be acquired at a subsequent stage.
It is estimated that extension of Ireland's Continential Shelf beyond the present Designated Area could add up to an additional 213,000 square kilometres to the existing Continental Shelf. The maximum extension will be in areas very far from shore — 360 km to 600 km off west Cork and 830 km to 1,050 km off Mayo and in very deep water of at least 2,500 metres.
