Lines drawn in the Ocean; Turks & Caicos and DR closer to EEZ?

#TurksandCaicos, October 26, 2021 – In a paper to the United Nations in December 2018, an independent researcher laid out the long standing issue of the Dominican Republic in establishing its clear Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ.   The author made it clear that defining its boundaries has become a tedious task for the DomRep and among the nations where there remained no treaty to confirm its EEZ was the United Kingdom representing the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Turks and Caicos is equally eager to see this line drawn in the ocean and Washington Misick, premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands  last week advised, that when he and the Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, Akierra Missick, who is also the Government’s Leader of business in the House of Assembly travel to London for the Joint Ministerial Council Meeting, there will be a push to finally resolve the matter.

“We have an ongoing dialogue or ongoing contention with the Dominican Republic in terms of our banks and this is something that I have already spoken to the UK about and will seek to advance this discussion with them,” said Hon Washington Misick.  They characterized this resolution as a “big ticket item” for the Turks and Caicos at the JMC.

Turks and Caicos waters flank those of the Dominican Republic and in the paper to the UN’s Convention on the Law of the Seas, the DR is claiming ownership of Mouchoir Bank.  That is a problem, because so does the Turks and Caicos.

The document filed three years ago reports that the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom in August 1996 signed a bilateral delimitation agreement, but that agreement has failed to come into force.  Activated, only when both governments agree to its terms and the Dominican Republic’s National Congress does not consent with demarcations which give Mouchoir Bank to the TCI.

Premier Washington Misick believes getting what he called a final solution on this issue will lead to a boom in fisheries,.

“I think there is tremendous potential in these islands for offshore fishing particularly as we look at diversifying the economy, but it does require a clear demarcation of where our EEZ begins and where it ends.”