contested areas

Companies take considerable risks by commencing exploration without a firm grasp of territorial ownership issues, and governments can similarly run into problems in allowing exploration to begin in areas to which multiple parties have claims.

Competing claims can result in significant delays to hydrocarbon exploration and production. Maritime territory in the Gulf of Thailand, for example, is disputed between Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, and a 27,000 sq km Overlapping Claims Area (OCA) has been in force majeure for decades, preventing any exploration in the seemingly oil-rich area.

Menas Borders works with governments to help them understand how discoveries, both on- and offshore, will affect them, and advise on the steps they need to take to ensure the region remains attractive to investors.

We also work with natural resource companies, helping to identify how their actions and potential discoveries will affect the local political and social environment, analysing the current resource management regime, advising on the durability of their contracts and identifying the possibility of claims and actions by parties on both sides of the border.