India’s Maritime Boundaries Set to Expand

Key Developments

• India is considering shifting to the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) datum to define its shoreline, replacing the outdated Everest Ellipsoid system.
• Adopting WGS84 will lead to changes in India’s territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).
• This could expand India’s maritime boundaries by a few meters to several hundred meters.

Impact on Maritime Borders

• India’s territorial waters (12 nautical miles) and EEZ (200 nautical miles) will be redefined.
• In Sir Mouth (part of Sir Creek), the baseline may shift by about 57 meters northwest.
• Changes could be more significant towards Bangladesh and slightly impact the Pakistan border.

Official Process & International Alignment

• 133 geographic coordinates will be revised and notified in a new gazette.
• The Ministry of External Affairs is working on aligning with global standards.
• In 2014, the Permanent Court of Arbitration used WGS84 to resolve the India-Bangladesh maritime dispute.

TET