An ocean apart? Maritime boundary agreements and disputes in the Arctic Ocean

Abstract

The Arctic region is sometimes described as an area of geopolitical competition and boundary disputes. However, in terms of territorial and maritime claims, such portrayals are misleading. Our examination of maritime boundaries in the Arctic, and Arctic state practice concerning baselines, maritime claims and extended continental shelf submissions in the central Arctic Ocean, shows that the Arctic is a maritime space where states have settled disputes before real conflict could emerge. In that sense the Arctic is arguably an ocean apart and the case of the Arctic can be of broader relevance regarding maritime disputes in other regional contexts.