Almost another Bangladesh, second liberation

BANGLADESH now has 1,18,813 sq km of territorial sea and the size of the country is 1,47,570 sq km. Our rights have been established over 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone and a substantial share of the extended continental shelf vis-a-vis Myanmar and India . Thus, we have maritime zone almost the size of the country itself.
Now legal battles with India and Myanmar ensue over our claim to the continental shelf up to 400-460 nautical miles from the coast. When these disputes will have been resolved, the difference between the size of Bangladesh and that of its territorial waters might disappear.
Yes, we are on the list of 50 countries waiting for arbitration on their disputes, but that does not stop us from tapping in on or harnessing maritime resources we are clearly entitled to, bar a ‘gray area’ coming in where our EEZ ends and the Indian one begins. But India has fishing rights there and we have an access to seabed resources, a relatively difficult option to have wittingly bargained for.
Add the new accretions fronting out to the sea at the rate of 12.5 sq km per year since 1973 and you look at a sizable landmass in the next 50 years. All these impart a sense of fullness to our being.
The threat of sea surge by global warming gobbling up low-lying parts of Bangladesh is yet a distant thunder. At any rate, the right to territorial waters will give us an opportunity to research the hydrological dynamics of the sea up close and brace for the effects better equipped.
Forty-three years since Bangladesh was born, we are poised to reap fruits of national independence through the delimitation of our maritime boundary. If for the war that gave birth to Bangladesh we had shed sweat, tears and blood on an unprecedented scale, our share of maritime territory comes to us through a civilised mode of conflict resolution: Consensus between the disputing countries to agree to a process of arbitration, as well as a unanimous verdict of the UN special tribunal.
Before we prise open the many-faceted bounty we need to comprehend that our cycle of acquiring attributes of sovereignty is being completed now. We have had a land of our own and sky overhead but these are limited in size (sacrosanct as they are), so the internationally sanctioned opening out of the Bay sets our mind free as an ancient sea-faring nation raring to put to sea once again. That way it is a second liberation.
Some media reports in India convey a sense though, that certain circles have been upset by the judgment but the official reaction has been a graceful acceptance. The dissenting note of the Indian representative has been dubbed in New Delhi as being merely of archival, and not material value.
The solidity of the gains we are poised to reap overall is slowly sinking in. We are beginning to learn it is better to be lucky (and we have been twice lucky with Myanmar and India) than perhaps rich. But nothing like a combination of both. Our image is lifted with the prospect of FDI flows being enhanced. The hesitant investors in hydrocarbons will be enthused to come forward for off-shore explorations. For all practical purposes though, Bapex has the golden opportunity to reorganise and revamp itself for the big job ahead.
Like the gold rush in the USA, the British striking oil in Saudi soil, once called the liquid gold, and diamond mines discovered in South Africa, many countries are scrambling in the deep-ocean mineral mining rush. BBC says, leading United Nations official described the scale of mineral deposits in the world’s oceans as “staggering” with “several hundred years’ worth of cobalt and nickel.” It is estimated that the potential for food under the sea if fully tapped can feed the world population a few times over for ages.
Under the UN’s Convention on the Law of the Sea, mining rights on the ocean floor are controlled by a little-known body, the International Seabed Authority, which since 2001 has issued 13 licences — with another six in prospect. These licences valid for 15 years have been bought for $500,000 each by government organisations, state-owned corporations and private companies from countries including China, India, Russia, Japan and South Korea (Source: BBC News Science & Environment March 14, 2013).
A final word is gleaned from a little-known history: Between 15th and 17th century Bangladesh had been a centre for building ocean-going vessels in Asia and was itself sea-faring. Given the rapid growth of ship building industry, it’s firmly poised to be the second largest exporter after garments in 2015. All in good time for a sea-faring nation reincarnate.