Island or rock? : conflict between Romania and Ukraine over the Serpent Island and similar conflicts over natural resources in offshore waters
2015
Abstract
Serpents Island was owned by Romania until 1948, when the Soviet Leadership ordered it transfered to Ukrainean control. Presently Romanian asked that Island schould be defined only as a rocky outcropping, and therefore need not be considered important enough to be factor in drawing the Romanian-Ukrainean maritime border.
Ukraine's case was that Island should be defined as an island, which would mean that the continental shelf around it would fall to Ukraine's possesion.