Enhancing maritime security in the Bay of Bengal: Resolution of Grey Areas between India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar

ABSTRACT Bangladesh’s initiation of arbitration proceedings separately against India and Myanmar, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), resulted in the creation of a “grey area”, having overlapping continental shelf and exclusive economic zone rights, between India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. There are several examples of cooperative frameworks for management of overlapping maritime claims areas around the world, but no such mechanism exists in South Asia. The resolution of the grey area remains an impediment towards ensuring collective maritime security and comprehensive development of the Bay of Bengal. Being the biggest nation in the region, and with its “Neighbourhood First” policy and its promotion of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) to harness shared and accelerated growth through mutual cooperation, India needs to take the lead in seeking a resolution of the grey area.