U.S. Expands Seabed Territory by One Million Square Kilometers, Raising Legal Questions
The United States has expanded its territorial claims by one million square kilometers of seabed, primarily in the Arctic, without adhering to international treaty protocols. This expansion, announced by the State Department in December 2023, grants the U.S. sovereign rights over vast stretches of seabed across seven offshore regions, including the Arctic and the Gulf of Mexico. The expansion was achieved through a legal loophole, as the U.S. has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which governs such claims. Despite this, the U.S. has used the treaty's guidelines to define its Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) limits. This move allows the U.S. to avoid paying royalties to the International Seabed Authority, unlike treaty members. 
