Practice question
Assume a valid Philippine extended continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, with no overlapping claim. An official asserts that the seabed entitlement automatically enlarges the EEZ to the same distance and gives the Philippines territorial sovereignty over the superjacent waters and airspace. A foreign ship only navigates above that shelf without interfering with resource activities. Which answer is best?
- The assertion is correct because the continental shelf and EEZ always have identical outer limits.
- The assertion is wrong: shelf rights do not automatically enlarge the EEZ or alter the legal status of the waters and airspace above the shelf.
- The assertion is correct if the seabed contains petroleum.
- The assertion is correct because every shelf claim transforms water into territory.
- The assertion is wrong only because a coastal State can never have a shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.
Legal references
- Republic Act No. 12064, November 7, 2024, Philippine Maritime Zones Act: https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/2/98027; Sections 7–8.
- UNCLOS, Articles 76–78 and 83: https://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/part6.htm; Articles 76–78.
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