Low-tide elevation
Low-tide elevation is a naturally formed area of land which is above water and
surrounded by water at low tide but submerged at high tide.United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Article 13 PART II It may be a mudflat or reef.
Legal status
Low tide elevations may be used as basepoints for the calculation of maritime zones unless they lie at a distance exceeding the breadth of the territorial sea (12-miles) from the nearest mainland or island.
According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, "If an LTE (low-tide elevation) is located within maritime zones of a littoral state, such as territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf, it automatically belongs to that state."{{cite web |last1=Trang |first1=Pham Ngoc Minh |title=Second Thomas Shoal: A Legal Perspective |url=https://amti.csis.org/second-thomas-shoal-a-legal-perspective/ |website=Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative |publisher=Center for Strategic and International Studies |access-date=September 6, 2024}}
References
Sources
- {{cite journal | last=Llanos | first=Hugo Ignacio | title=Low-Tide Elevations: Reassessing Their Impact on Maritime Delimination | journal=Pace International Law Review | volume=14 | issue=2 | date=2002-09-01 | issn=2331-3536 | doi=10.58948/2331-3536.1197 | page=255 | url = https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1197&context=pilr}}