Coll 30/87(2) Part II 'Qatar: Oil Concession - P.C.L.'s Operations.' [‎56r] (112/603)

Bo. C/1227.
The 23rd of December, 1947
To
His iSxcellency Shaikh Abdulla bin Qasim
Al Thani, C.1.E.,
Ruler of Qatar.
After compliments:
I am instructed by the Hon f ble the Political
Resident to inform Your Excellency that His Majesty f s
Government has, for some time past, had under consider
ation the boundary which should delimit Your Excellency’s
rights in the bed of the sea lying between the territory
of Your Excellency and that of His Highness the Shaikh
of Bahrain. Apart from any other cons id era t ions the
operations of the Oil Companies in Your Excellency’s and Hie
Highness the Shaikh of Bahrain’s territory make such a
delimitation necessafy.
2. I am, therefore, to forward herewith for Your
Excellency’s information a copy of a map showing the
line (from point ’M’ to the n Bahrain Light Vessel")
which, His Majesty’s Government considers, divides in
accordance with equitable principles the sea-bed afore
said. This is a median line based generally on the con
figuration of the coast-line of the Bahrain main island and
the peninsula of Qatar.
3. With the exceptions noted below His Majesty’s
Government will, in future, regard all the sea-bed lying
to the west of this line as being under the sovereignty
of His Highness the Shaikh of Bahrain and all the sea-bed
lying to the east of it as being under the sovereignty of
Your Excellency. This decision covers the sea-bed only
and not the waters above it and is without prejudice to
existing navigation rights.
4. The exceptions referred to above are:-
His Highness the Shaikh of Bahrain is recognised
as having sovereign rights in
(i) the areas of the Bibal and Jaradeh shoals
which are above the spring tide low-water
level. After a full examination of the
position under international law, His
Majesty’s Government are of opinion that
these shoals should not be considered t©
be islands having territorial waters.
(ii) Hawar Island, the islands of the Hawar
group and the territorial waters pertaining
thereto and delimited again in accordance
with the usual principles of international
la*. These islands and their territorial
waters are shown on the map enclosed by the
line At B, C, B, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, and L.
As this delimitation will, however, leave a narrow
tongue of water (formed by the points M, J, and l)
pertaining to Qatar it has bean decided to alter
the Line H, I, J, to H, P, Q, thus exchanging
an equal area P I 0 for 0 J Q. It should be noted
that Jan an Island is not regarded as being included
in the islands of the Hawar group.
/ 5.