Australia, Timor-Leste Reach Draft Treaty Over Maritime Boundary

Australia and Timor-Leste have reached an agreement on a draft treaty over their maritime boundary which will address issues surrounding the offshore Greater Sunrise gas field, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said October 15.

“This draft treaty delimits the maritime boundary between them in the Timor Sea and addresses the legal status of the Greater Sunrise gas field, the establishment of a Special Regime for Greater Sunrise, a pathway to the development of the resource, and the sharing of the resulting revenue,” the Hague-based court said.

The Greater Sunrise field is made up of the Sunrise and Troubadour gas and condensate fields, located approximately 150km south east of Timor-Leste and 450km northwest of Australia’s Darwin.

“Having reached agreement on maritime boundaries, engagement with the Greater Sunrise Joint Venture and the development of Greater Sunrise will now become the principal focus on the parties,” the PCA said.

“The parties will be meeting in Singapore before the end of November with the commission in order to review progress on the CPA pathway to the development of the resource, and set a date for signing by the end of the year or early 2018,” it said.

The PCA concluded that the specifics of the agreement on the maritime boundaries will be disclosed at a later date. 

Nathan Richardson