Admiral’s Morning: ‘Sri Lanka’s Claim for the Outer Continental Margin Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)’

October 17, 2025    Reading Time: 2 minutes

Reading Time: 2 min read

The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS) held the 2nd session of the month for the lecture series titled ‘Admiral’s Morning’ on October 14th at the Lighthouse Auditorium in Colombo. The series began in September, with the aim of building awareness regarding Sri Lanka’s maritime issues. 

The lecture was delivered by the LKIIRSS Board member, Rear Admiral Y.N. Jayarathna (Retd.), former Chief Hydrographer of the Sri Lankan Navy, who presented on the topic of ‘Sri Lanka’s Claim for the Outer Continental Margin Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)’. He spoke particularly on Sri Lanka’s submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) under the Statement of Understanding (Annex II to the Final Act of UNCLOS). Sri Lanka negotiated this exception to Article 76 of the UNCLOS due to our special geographical and geomorphological position in the Southern Bay of Bengal.

Rear Admiral (Retd.) Y.N. Jayarathna described both the scientific and legal aspects of claiming sovereign rights beyond the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone. The audience gained insight into the type and level of research and training that was necessary for preparing and submitting Sri Lanka’s claim to the CLCS. 

It was also highlighted that Sri Lanka could negotiate with our neighbours to avoid any disputes relating to overlapping claims. The relevant Indian Ocean neighbours in this context include India, the Maldives, Bangladesh and Myanmar. A point of interest was raised that the CLCS has allowed Kenya to use the mathematical formula in the Statement of Understanding under Annex II, despite not being situated in the Bay of Bengal. 

The lecture was followed by a discussion with the audience during which clarifications were asked regarding scientific, legal and international relations aspects of this issue, and the role of CLCS in facilitating the UNCLOS.

The LKI has planned the ‘Admiral’s Morning’ series to continue this month on Tuesday mornings, from 8.30-10.00 am at LKIIRSS premises, Horton Place, with the following lectures lined up: 

• 21 October – Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA)
• 28 October – Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mannar; Strategic Neighbourhood of Sri Lanka

All sessions are free and open to the public.