The Al Yasat Marine Protected Area and Maritime Delimitation in the Arabian Gulf

The Al Yasat Marine Protected Area (MPA) is located off the western coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Arabian Gulf. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) also has a narrow coastline in this part of the Gulf. Its refusal to recognise the UAE’s MPA has reignited the parties’ maritime delimitation dispute, which stems from the provisions of the Treaty of Jeddah (1974). This article analyses this controversial treaty framework before evaluating the maritime entitlements and obligations of the parties—including in relation to the Al Yasat MPA—as a matter of customary international law. In so doing, it examines the legal arguments advanced by the KSA and UAE in this context with a view to considering the existing scope for a negotiated solution to their protracted maritime dispute.