Seychelles approves expansion of territorial waters

The Government of Seychelles Cabinet of Ministers has approved the incorporation of the extended continental shelf of the Northern plateau region (north of the Seychelles Bank) under Seychelles’ jurisdiction. This measure extends territorial waters by around 14,840 square kilometres, or about 32 timesthe size of the entire landmass of Seychelles.


The new area differs from the Exclusive Economic Zone and lays outside of this area. Seychelles does not have the same rights as within the EEZ, but has sovereignty over its resources.

The establishment of three maritime spaces, to which Seychelles is entitled under International Law, were endorsed by the Cabinet: the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, and the revised EEZ

The territorial sea is the coastal waters extending ro 12 nautical miles from low-water under the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS). The next 12 nautical miles is known as the contiguous zone and finally,  the EEZ extends from low-water to a maximum of 200 nautical miles. A country has different layers of authority depending on the zone.