Hopes Council of Ministers will press UK for extension
The Council of Ministers should press the UK for an extension of the Isle of Man's territorial waters to the median line between the two countries.
That's the theme of a Tynwald petition - in the names of Keith Kerruish of Ramsey and Philip Craine of Douglas - which MLC Paul Craine will present to the court at its November sitting.
A pamphlet, outlining details of the petition and the background to it, is currently being delivered to homes around the Island.
The petition draws on the work of the late Nigel Crowe, who fervently believed that the Ministry of Justice and Crown Estate Commissioners in the UK should grant the Isle of Man fair, just and equitable maritime benefits to the median line.
The Tynwald petition calls upon members of the court to ask the Council of Ministers to enter discussions with the with the relevant UK bodies with the aim of realising the policy.
It states that the Island and the UK agreed an extension of Manx territorial sea to 12 miles in 1991, in exchange for £800,000 and the cessation of the Continental Shelf Agreement, under which the Island received a share of petroleum licence fees and royalties in respect of the entire UK Continental Shelf.
The petitioners believe that just as the 1991 agreement replaced the one signed in 1966, there is no reason why a renegotiation can't take place without further financial consideration.
They suggest that the arrangement established by the UK with Scotland, whereby Crown Estate Scotland manages the exclusive economic zone around the country, with all revenues allocated by the Scottish Government, provides a model for the Island.
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