The process began in 1996 when Uruguay established an interministerial commission to advise the executive branch on continental shelf extension procedures under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. In 2009, Uruguay submitted its initial extension request to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, which subsequently requested additional data to support the claim. The August 2026 submission represents Uruguay’s response to those technical requirements.
Lateral boundary negotiations with Argentina over shared maritime zones remain unresolved. The bilateral discussions will determine the exact geographic limits where Uruguay’s and Argentina’s extended continental shelves meet. These negotiations typically involve complex oceanographic and geological data to establish equitable maritime boundaries between neighboring states.
Rodríguez identified hydrocarbon exploration as a key opportunity arising from the expanded maritime zone, specifically mentioning the possible presence of gas deposits in the newly claimed areas. Uruguay’s land area totals 176,220 square kilometers according to standard geographic measurements. With continental shelf rights now extending to 350 nautical miles, the maritime zone under Uruguayan jurisdiction significantly exceeds this terrestrial footprint.
The continental shelf extension grants Uruguay sovereign rights over seabed resources including oil, gas, minerals and sedentary species within the expanded area. However, the water column above the extended shelf beyond 200 nautical miles remains international waters where other states retain navigation and overflight freedoms. Resource exploitation in these frontier maritime zones will require substantial investment in survey technology and production infrastructure to assess commercial viability of potential hydrocarbon reserves.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
