Click here to read the NHSMUN 2011 IMO Background Guide

The IMO blog is now available

Topic 1: The Spratly Islands Dispute

The Spratly Islands, located in the South China Sea, have been subject to territorial dispute since the 1950s. Since then, China and other nations in Southeast Asia established and claimed twenty-nine oil fields and four gas fields in the archipelago. China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei are directly invested in both the territorial and commercial dispute regarding the ownership over the Spratly Islands.

Only consisting of five square kilometers of land diistributed between 100-230 islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts, these islands feature the fourth largest oil reserve in the world with the largest continental shelf. The Spratly Islands harbor 17.7 billion tons of oil under the ocean floor (compared to the 13 billion tons in Kuwait). With China’s increasing need for energy and oil, these islands seem like the easiest remedy for their demand. By the use of military means, including the construction of airstrips and deployment of armed forces, China has aggressively claimed the region for itself; however, the dispute expands well past Chinese occupation as many Southeast Asian countries are fighting for commercial oil resources upon which their economies are most dependent.

International intervention also plays a significant role in the Spratly Islands. Although the United States and Japan are not directly involved in the dispute, they hold an interest in this oil-rich region as well. With increasing interest, more offshore drilling could be profitable, but not without the consequences of ecological risks as well as the risk of further instigating territorial and commercial disputes.

The IMO’s mission is to suggest ways to foster regional cooperation and to avoid a potential military disaster. Both territory and money are at stake, and it is the IMO’s job to keep peace while proportionally allocating control over these islands.

Topic 2: Offshore Drilling in the Arctic Circle

After the recent major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in the process of offshore drilling, the debate over the legality of offshore oil drilling continues to be contentious. Another area of concern in regard to the establishment and expansion of drilling is in the Arctic Circle. Ranging from the northern boundaries of Canada to Alaska, past the northern part of Russia and to Greenland, the Arctic Circle’s oceans are rich in oil and very desirable to any oil-consuming states.

While some people believe that offshore oil drilling will help to alleviate the growing pressure on the oil market, others see the detriments that offshore drilling can cause in the environment, particularly to marine and arctic wildlife. However, the effects of global climate change have made arctic offshore drilling even more concerning; as more icebergs melt, the easier it is to reach underwater oil.

In 1923 the first offshore drilling facility was built off the shore of Alaska. Since then, the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas have served as the main drilling sites that provide a portion of the United States’ oil. However, in 1981, offshore drilling was banned; but, in 1991, George Bush reestablished its legality. The current Obama Administration plans on expanding offshore oil drilling projects off the coast of Alaska, but the spill in the Gulf of Mexico has postponed those plans. Nevertheless, nations like Greenland still plan on proceed with its projects in the Arctic.

However, this issue is not only important to the Western world. Experts estimate that nearly thirty percent of the world’s undiscovered oil lays in the offshore shelves in the Artic, which is most abundantly concentrated in Russia. While Russia may have interests in drilling for their own wealth, countries like China and the non-western world may want to be involved in Arctic exploration.