Agents who represented Ghana and Cote D’lvoire in the maritime boundary dispute case, Gloria Akuffo and Adama Toungara, say they accept the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea’s (ITLOS) judgement on the case.
This was contained in a joint statement released hours after the Chamber’s judgement.
[contextly_sidebar id=”hOqcx8D0P3dkaVdSiIoXQKpCikqQucMJ”]The long standing maritime dispute between Ghana and Cote D’lvoire came to what appears to be a closure today [Saturday], September 23, 2017, after ITLOS ruled largely in favour of Ghana.
The Chamber ruled that there has not been any violation on the part of Ghana on Côte d’Ivoire’s maritime boundary.
It further rejected Côte D’Ivoire’s argument that Ghana’s coastal lines were unstable, adding that Ghana had not violated Côte d’Ivoire’s sovereign rights with its oil exploration in the disputed basin in question.
We’ll abide by terms of judgement
The statement, which was signed by the two agents also saw the two countries reiterating their mutual commitment to abide by the terms of the judgement.
“Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana seize the opportunity to reiterate the mutual commitment of the two countries to abide by the terms of this decision from the Special Chamber, and to fully collaborate for its implementation. Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana accept the decision, in accordance with the Statute of ITLOS.”
The two countries also “affirmed their strong will to work together to strengthen and intensify their brotherly relationships of cooperation and good neighbourliness.”
“On the joint behalf of the Presidents and the Peoples of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire and the Republic of Ghana, I would like to express our gratitude to the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for the courteous attention with which the proceedings were conducted,” the statement added.
Justice Boualem Bouguetaia, President of the Special Chamber in reading the judgment, accepted Ghana’s argument of adoption of the equidistance method of delineation of the maritime boundary.
In consideration of the new boundary, the Chamber determined that it starts from boundary 55 -200 nautical miles away, a position much closer to what Ghana was arguing for.
Analysts say Ghana would now have to wait to see how the final map looks, once the coordinates are plotted in the sea using boundary pillar BP 55+ on a common land boundary, as a starting point for drawing the new equidistance line.
In 2014, Ghana took the case to ITLOS to dispel claims it has encroached Cote d’Ivoire’s marine borders as part of oil exploration activities at Cape Three Points, off the shores of the Western Region.
Ghana’s defense held that Cote d’Ivoire was barred from demanding ownership to the disputed area it had acknowledged that Ghana owned the space without any qualms in the decades leading up to the oil discovery.
The oral hearings for the dispute were concluded in February 2017.
Ghana’s oil discovery
In 2007, Ghana discovered oil and gas in commercial quantities, and this was followed by Cote d’Ivoire staking its claim to portions of the West Cape Three Points.
These claims were renewed in 2010 after Vanco, an oil exploration and production company announced the discovery of oil in the Dzata-1 deepwater-well.
Cote d’Ivoire petitioned the United Nations asking for a completion of the demarcation of its maritime boundary with Ghana, and Ghana responded by setting up of the Ghana Boundary Commission.
This commission was tasked with the responsibility of negotiating with Côte d’Ivoire towards finding a lasting solution to the problem.
But this commission bore no fruit, and in September 2014, Ghana dragged Cote d’Ivoire to ITLOS after 10 failed negotiations.
ITLOS’s first ruling in 2015 placed a moratorium on new projects, with old projects continuing after Cote d’Ivoire filed for preliminary measures and urged the tribunal to suspend all activities on the disputed area until the definitive determination of the case.
The moratorium prevented Tullow Oil from drilling additional 13 wells. Tullow thus drilled eleven [11] wells in Ghana’s first oil field.
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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