COOPERATION IN THE MARITIME ZONES AMONG AND BETWEEN THE SAARC COUNTRIES

This article examines how SAARC countries can cooperate across their maritime zones—territorial seas, contiguous zones, Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and continental shelves—to advance security, trade and sustainable resource use. It reviews the late-1990s context marked by UNCLOS implementation, emerging blue-economy thinking and the growing importance of sea lines of communication in the Indian Ocean. The discussion highlights complementarities in fisheries management, marine scientific research, search-and-rescue, counter-piracy and environmental protection, and identifies institutional frictions that have limited concrete outcomes. Particular attention is paid to overlapping claims, capacity gaps in monitoring and enforcement, and the absence of operational information-sharing. The paper argues that pragmatic, issue-based cooperation—beginning with data exchange, joint hydrographic work and harmonized conservation measures—can produce early wins that build confidence for deeper collaboration.

The body situates the analysis within UNCLOS provisions relevant to South Asia and maps the distinct maritime profiles of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Section One details the strategic value of the region’s sea lanes and the implications for collective maritime domain awareness. Section Two explores joint fisheries management, proposing shared stock assessments, coordinated closed seasons and vessel licensing reciprocity to curb IUU fishing. Section Three outlines frameworks for marine environmental protection, including oil-spill preparedness, ballast-water management and habitat conservation in transboundary ecosystems such as the Sundarbans seascape. Section Four develops operational mechanisms—white-shipping agreements, common reporting formats and SAR exercises—to institutionalize trust without encroaching on sovereignty. Section Five examines financing options through multilateral windows and PPPs for port upgrades and coast-guard capabilities. The conclusion presents a phased roadmap: start with technical MoUs, pilot joint patrols in limited areas, then consolidate gains under a SAARC maritime working group that can gradually address harder boundary and resource questions.