Denmark intends to claim the North Pole in addition to the territories already in its possession in the Arctic Ocean: Greenland and the Faroe Islands, as per today’s information unveiled on the Internet site of the Danish newspaper “Information”, quoting a policy document of the Foreign Ministry, reported AFP.
“The country intends to claim the continental shelf in five areas around the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and of course the North Pole”, according to diplomatic documents to be released in June and a copy of which was obtained by the newspaper.
The adoption of this Denmark’s plan entitled “Strategy for 2011-2020 Arctic” is likely to create tensions in the region with Russia, USA, Canada, and Norway, the other costal countries.
Melting ice and development of new technologies accentuates the dispute over the region – oil reserves will become more accessible. According to the American Geophysical Institute (USGS), the polar circle could include a fifth part of the undiscovered yet hydrocarbons reserves in the world: around 13% of oil reserves and 30% of gas, mostly located in the marine environment.
Some sources say that North Pole does not appear to host large reserves of hydrocarbons, but it has a symbolic value. In 2007, Russia has installed its national flag on the seabed of the Arctic Ocean, on the vertical of the North Pole using a mini submarine.
Arctic coastal countries now have a 200-mile economic zone off their coasts. Their claims on the remaining territory have to be studied under the regulation of UN Convention regarding maritime rights. This requires that the states with such claims to announce within ten years after the ratification of the UN Convention, which is what Denmark did in 2004.