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Global Race to Claim the Ocean Floor Escalates as Nations Map Seabed Territories

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In a modern echo of Jules Verne’s nautical visions, nations are vying for control over the ocean’s depths, marking and naming seabed features to extend their territorial claims. The race to claim parts of the ocean floor has intensified, propelled by advanced 3D mapping technologies that reveal detailed topographies previously hidden in the ocean’s murky depths.

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Klaus Dodds, a professor of geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London, describes this phenomenon as a “scramble for the oceans.” He notes that, with legal frameworks allowing such claims, countries are eagerly marking territories that could be ripe with valuable natural resources. This modern-day scramble is not just about mapping; it is about the assertion of national identity and economic potential.

According to Dr. Sergei Basik, a geographer at Conestoga College, this process involves naming underwater features like ridges, knolls, and reefs, a practice known as assigning “bathyonyms.” By naming these features, nations not only map but also claim the resources these territories may harbor. The practice, Basik explains, turns these features into commodities, potentially paving the way for future exploitation.

The International Hydrographic Organization plays a crucial role in this process, as it approves the names proposed by countries for these underwater features. Basik’s research indicates a sharp increase in the rate of naming: while only 17 names were proposed annually in the 20th century, the average since 2000 has surged to 95, with over 1,000 names submitted since 2016 alone.

Japan leads the world in proposing bathyonyms, closely followed by the United States, France, Russia, New Zealand, and China. These efforts are often aimed at extending sovereign rights over the seabed, sometimes by as much as 350 nautical miles from a nation’s coastline, according to Dodds.

The implications of this trend are profound. As countries continue to stake their claims, the politics of naming could lead to increased geopolitical tensions and pose significant challenges for marine Conservation efforts. The drive to exploit deep-sea resources raises pressing questions about the environmental impact of such activities, underscoring the need for careful management of these precious marine territories.