The tiny rock that shapes a maritime boundary
A solitary rock, barely rising above the Caribbean Sea, could influence the future maritime boundary between the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.
As unlikely as that might seem, the issue turns on one of the most debated provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Article 121(3) states that “rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf”.
Those few words have generated decades of legal debate and have featured prominently in maritime disputes before international courts around the world. For a more complete summary of the story, please see the below link:
Published on: Jul 18, 2026 05:44 PM