Story: International law

The Tangaroa surveying the continental shelf (2nd of 3)

The Tangaroa surveying the continental shelf

Scientists launch an acoustic receiver ('streamer') from the research vessel Tangaroa during a 2002 seismic survey of the seabed east of the Chatham Islands. The survey of the continental shelf was used to support New Zealand's 2006 submission to the United Nations (UN) under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This allowed the country to negotiate sovereign rights to the resources of the seabed and subsoil of the continental shelf outside the 200-nautical-mile (370-kilometre) territorial limit.

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NIWA – National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
Photograph by John Mitchell

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How to cite this page:

K. J. Keith, 'International law - What is international law?', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/38135/the-tangaroa-surveying-the-continental-shelf (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by K. J. Keith, published 20 Jun 2012