President Mohamed Nasheed has today met with Chief Hydrographer, Vice Admiral B R Rao of India. The meeting was held this afternoon at the President’s Office.

At the meeting, the President sought assistance from India’s Naval Hydrographic Department, to claim for an extended continental shelf.

President Nasheed and Vice Admiral Rao also spoke on the status of the hydrographic survey that is being carried out with the assistance of Indian Navy.

On 10 October 2009, the cabinet decided to see if the Maldives can claim for an extended continental shelf.

When continental shelf coordinates are determined, a country will have the right to exploit the minerals, natural resources, and sedentary species, in the seabed.

The Maldives had not done any work on claiming the area for its continental shelf, since it signed up to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 26 years ago.