DHAKA: Verdict of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Tribunal over the Bangladesh-India maritime boundary dispute is likely to be announced on July 2. 

Diplomatic sources said the hearing of the case in the tribunal in Hague of Netherlands filed by Bangladesh was concluded on December 18 last year.

Bangladesh sees a positive verdict in the favour of it after three years of the case filed.

When contacted, M Khurshed Alkam, secretary of maritime department of foreign ministry, said they hope that the verdict will be given in favour of Bangladesh soon as hearing of the case completed earlier.

 Bangladesh and neighbouring India have been locked in the maritime boundary disputes over 10 gas blocks in the Bay of Bengal. 

Both the nations have been claiming the area as their own. The maritime boundary between India and Bangladesh is not demarcated. 

Both the countries co-occupy 180 km of a maritime borderline. There have always been claims and counter-claims and overlapping claims.

Bangladesh moved on October 8, 2009 for arbitral proceeding concerning the maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and India and served an arbitration notice upon India in this regard.

Later in May of 2001, the then foreign minister Dr Dipu Moni filed a law suit with the UNCLOS seeking its arbitration on maritime dispute with India.

Earlier, Bangladesh won a landmark verdict against Myanmar on March 14, 2012 at the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea and through the verdict the country sustained its claim to the 200 nautical-miles and exclusive economic and territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal.

BDST: 0928 HRS, JUN 16, 2014