THE FEDERAL LAW OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION REGARDING THE CONTINENTAL SHELF OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION ADOPTED BY THE GOVERNMENT DUMA

The present Federal Law determines the status of the continental shelf, sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Russian Federation at its continental shelf and their performance in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, as well as the generally adopted principles and norms of international law and international agreements of the Russian Federation. The issues related to the continental shelf of the Russian Federation and its activity not stipulated by the present Federal Law are governed by other federal laws applied to the continental shelf of the Russian Federation.

The continental shelf of the Russian Federation (hereafter referred to as the Continental Shelf) includes the ground and the resources of the underwater areas which are located outside the limits of the Russian Federation territorial seas (further--Territorial Seas) as for the length of the natural extension of its land territory untill the outer border of the underwater side of the continent.

The underwater side of the continent is the extension of the continental massif of the Russian Federation which includes the surface and the mineral resources of the Continental Shelf, slope and lift.

The definition of Continental Shelf is also applied to all the islands of the Russian Federation.

The inner border of the Continental Shelf is the outer boarder of the Territorial Sea.

Considering the clauses of Article 2 of the present Federal Law, the outer border of the Continental Shelf is located at a distance of 200 nautical miles from the physical boundaries. The width of the Territorial Sea is measured considering the physical boundaries on the condition if the outer border of the continent's underwater side does not exceed more than 200 nautical miles.

If the continent's underwater side is located within a distance of more than 200 nautical miles from the abovementioned physical boundaries, the outer border of the Continental Shelf then coincides with the outer border of the continent's underwater parts, determined in accordance with the norms of international law.

Article 5. The Right of the Russian Federation concerning the Continental Shelf.

The Russian Federation performs the following at the Continental Shelf:

1) Sovereign rights for the purposes of studies of the Continental Shelf and development its mineral and wildlife resources. These rights are considered to be exclusive in that if the Russian Federation does not perform surveys of the Continental Shelf, or if the Russian Federation does not develop the mineral and wildlife resources of the Shelf, then no one can develop them without the permission of the Russian Federation;

2) exclusive right to permit and regulate drilling at the Continental Shelf for any reason;

3) exclusive right to construct and also to allow and regulate the creation, exploitation and utilization of artificial islands, structures and plants, including the jurisdiction related to the customs, fiscal, sanitary and immigration laws and regulations, and also laws and regulations related to safety;

4) jurisdiction related to:

--marine scientific research;

--protection and preservation of the marine environment in terms of the study and development of mineral resources, fishing for live resources, burying waste and other materials;

--installation and exploitation of the underground cables and pipelines of the Russian Federation.

The Russian Federation executes the sovereign rights and jurisdiction at the Continental Shelf, pursuant to economic, commercial, marine scientific and other interests in the order determined by the present Federal Law and the norms of the international laws.

The rights of the Russian Federation for the Continental Shelf do not extend to the legal status of the waters covering it and the air space above these waters.

The Russian Federation executes the sovereign rights and the jurisdiction at the Continental Shelf, which does not prevent from navigation, the other rights and freedoms of the other countries acknowledged in accordance with generally adopted principles and norms of the international laws. Activity at the Continental Shelf is performed taking into consideration navigation, fishing, marine scientific research, other legal types of activity and also considering the protection and preservation of the marine environment, mineral and wildlife resources.

Article 11. Supplying the Right for Utilization of Wildlife Resources.

The right to utilize the wildlife resources is supplied to:

--physical and juridical persons of foreign countries, to foreign countries and competent international agencies (further for this Chapter--the Foreign Applicants).

The following parties have preference for utilization of wildlife resources:

--representatives of scarce native populations and ethnic communities of the Russian Federation North and Far East, the way of life, activity and economy of which are traditionally based on utilizing wildlife resources;

--the population of the Russian Federation North and Far East in places of permanent residence on territories adjacent to the marine coast of the Russian Federation;

--Russian applicants assisting to the artificial reproduction of wildlife resources.

Foreign Applicants can utilize wildlife resources for scientific, production and other purposes based only on Russian Federation international agreements with the countries of which the Foreign Applicants are residents or in which they are registered, pursuant to the requirements of the present Federal Law and any Russian Federation international agreements.