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Serranilla Bank

February 15, 2024

Not to be confused with Serrana Bank.

Serranilla Bank (Spanish: Isla Serranilla, Banco Serranilla and Placer de la Serranilla)[2] is a partially submerged reef, with small uninhabited islets, in the western Caribbean Sea. It is situated about 350 kilometres (220 mi) northeast of Punta Gorda, Nicaragua, and roughly 280 kilometres (170 mi) southwest of Jamaica.[1] The closest neighbouring land feature is Bajo Nuevo Bank, located 110 kilometres (68 mi) to the east.

Serranilla Bank
Disputed reef and islands
Satellite image of Serranilla Bank
Serranilla Bank
Location in the Caribbean
Serranilla Bank
Serranilla Bank
Location off Colombia
Geography
LocationCaribbean Sea
Coordinates15°50′N 79°50′W / 15.833°N 79.833°W / 15.833; -79.833 [1]
Total islands4
Major islandsBeacon Cay
Administration
DepartmentSan Andrés and Providencia
Claimed by
 United States
 Honduras
 Jamaica
Demographics
Population0

Serranilla Bank was first shown on Spanish maps in 1510. It is administered by Colombia as part of the department of San Andrés and Providencia.[3][4] The reef is subject to a sovereignty dispute involving Colombia and the United States. A previous claim by Honduras was resolved in favor of Colombia when the two countries approved a treaty establishing their maritime boundaries.[5] Jamaica's claim was resolved when it established a joint regime area with overlapping maritime boundaries in 1993, but acknowledging Colombian control of Serranilla and Bajo Nuevo banks.[6] In 2012, in regards to Nicaraguan claims to the islands, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) upheld Colombia's sovereignty over the bank, although the judgment does not analyze or mention the U.S. claim over the reef.[7]

Geography edit

Serranilla Bank is a former atoll, now a mostly submerged carbonate platform consisting of shallow reef environments. It is about 40 kilometres (25 mi) in length and 32 kilometres (20 mi) in width, covering an area of over 1,200 square kilometres (460 sq mi), almost entirely under water. Three small cays and two rocks emerge above the water to form the bank's islands. These are West Breaker, Middle Cay, East Cay, Beacon Cay and Northeast Breaker.[8] They are largely barren, with sparse vegetation of bushes and some trees. Many shipwrecks are located in its vicinity.[9] The bank lacks coral reefs and has minimal sediment cover. Accretion of the bank is not keeping up with sea level rise. The southeastern portion is covered mainly by hardgrounds, while the rest of the bank is mostly covered by thin Halimeda sediments.[10]

Beacon Cay is the largest islet in the Bank. It is overbuilt with small military facilities, which house a small rotating garrison of Colombian naval personnel. There is a lighthouse on a coral ledge in the southwest approach to the bank. It is a 33-metre (108 ft) tall skeletal tower built atop a 3-storey crew residence. The lamp emits a focal plane beam of light as two white flashes every 20 seconds. The current lighthouse was first erected in 1982,[11] and was reconstructed in May 2008 by the Colombian Ministry of Defence. It is currently maintained by the Colombian Navy, and overseen by the state's Maritime Authority.[8][12][13]

History edit

The Serranilla Bank was first shown on Spanish maps in 1510 as Placer de la Serranilla. It was mentioned by Louis-Michel Aury whose ship was shipwrecked on it in 1820.[14] In later history it has been the subject of conflicting claims by a number of sovereign states; in most cases, the dispute stems from attempts by a state to expand its exclusive economic zone over the surrounding seas.

Between 1982 and 1986, Colombia maintained a formal agreement with Jamaica which granted regulated fishing rights to Jamaican vessels within the territorial waters of Serranilla Bank and nearby Bajo Nuevo Bank.[15][16] In November 1993, the two states agreed upon a maritime delimitation treaty establishing a "Joint Regime Area" to cooperatively manage and exploit living and non-living resources in designated waters between the two banks.[17] However, the territorial waters immediately surrounding the cays themselves were excluded from the zone of joint-control, as Colombia considers these areas to be part of her coastal waters.[18][19] The agreement came into force in March 1994.[16]

Nicaragua formerly claimed all the islands on its continental shelf,[20] covering an area of over 50,000 km2 in the Caribbean Sea, including the Serranilla Bank and all islands associated with the San Andrés and Providencia archipelagoes. It had persistently pursued this claim against Colombia in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), filing cases in both 2001 and 2007.[21][22] Nicaragua formally accepted the ICJ's 2012 ruling of Colombian sovereignty in a 2014 constitutional amendment.[23]

The United States' claim was made in 1879[24] and 1880 under the Guano Islands Act[25] by James W. Jennett.[26][27] Most claims made by the U.S. over the guano islands in this region were officially renounced in a treaty with Colombia, dated September 1972.[28] But whether or not Serranilla Bank was included in the agreement is disputed—there is no specific mention of the feature in the treaty and, as per Article 7 of the said treaty, only matters specifically mentioned in the document are subject to it. The U.S. considers the reef to be an insular area.[27][29]

Honduras claimed Serranilla Bank as part of its national territory in Article 10 of its Constitution.[30] In 1986, it agreed upon a maritime boundary demarcation with Colombia that excluded Honduras of any control over the bank or its surrounding waters.[4][31] The ratification of this boundary on 20 December 1999[32] proved to be controversial within Honduras, as it ensured that the state implicitly recognised Colombia's sovereignty over the claimed territory.[33] At that time, Nicaragua disputed Honduras' legal right to hand over these areas before the ICJ.[20][34] Despite the agreement with Colombia, however, the Honduran government has yet to officially renounce the claim in the Constitution.

Notable fauna edit

In 1952, Serranilla bank was the site of the last sighting of the now extinct Caribbean monk seal.[35]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Sailing Directions (Enroute), Caribbean Sea (PDF). Vol. II (7th ed.). National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2001. p. 95.
  2. ^ Derrotero de las islas Antillas y de las costas orientales de América p. 333
  3. ^ (in Spanish) Armada de la República de Colombia: Forces and Commands — area is under the jurisdiction of Comando Específico de San Andrés y Providencia.
  4. ^ a b "Mapa Oficial Fronteras Terrestriales y Maritima Convenciones" (PDF). Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi. Retrieved 2009-10-25.[permanent dead link] An official map of Colombian borders, with treaty dates.
  5. ^ "Maritime Delimitation Treaty between Colombia and Honduras" (PDF). U.N. Delimitation Treaties InfoBase. 1986-08-02. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  6. ^ Diemer, Christian; Šeparović, Amalija (2006). "Territorial questions and maritime delimitation with regard to Nicaragua's claims to the San Andrés Archipelago" (PDF). Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht. 66: 167–186.
  7. ^ International Court of Justice (2012). "Territorial and maritime dispute (Nicaragua vs Colombia)" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  8. ^ a b Sanandresislas – description and photographs of Serranilla Bank.
  9. ^ Marx, Robert F. (1987). Shipwrecks in the Americas. New York: Dover Publications. pp. 414–417. ISBN 978-0-486-25514-9.
  10. ^ Triffleman, Nina J. (July 1992). "Morphology, sediments, and depositional environments of a small carbonate platform; Serranilla Bank, Nicaraguan Rise, Southwest Caribbean Sea". Journal of Sedimentary Research. 62 (4): 591–606. doi:10.1306/D426796A-2B26-11D7-8648000102C1865D. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  11. ^ (PDF) (in Spanish). Colombian Government, Ministry of National Defence. August 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2009-12-22. Legal status of the Banks of Serranilla and Bajo Nuevo, page 8.
  12. ^ (PDF) (in Spanish). Colombian Government, Ministerio de Defensa Nacional. February 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-10-23. Contract detail between Colombian Defense Ministry and private contractor, Tecnosoluciones Ltda., for the replacement of various metal lighthouse structures, including on Serranilla Bank.
  13. ^ (PDF) (in Spanish). Colombian Government, Ministry of National Defence. May 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-11-16. Photographs of Colombian lighthouses, with Serranilla Bank shown, pages 4–5.
  14. ^ Codazzi, Agustín (1970). "XII: Viaje del general Aury a Santafé por el Magdalena" [XXI: General Aury's trip to Santafé by the Magdalena]. In Gerulewicz, Marisa Vannini de (ed.). Las Memorias de Agustín Codazzi (in Spanish). Caracas: Univ. Central de Venezuela.
  15. ^ "Fishing Agreement Between Jamaica and the Republic of Colombia" (PDF). United Nations. November 1982. Retrieved 2009-11-20. Fishing agreement which permits regulated fishing rights to Jamaican vessels around Bajo Nuevo and Serranilla Banks.
  16. ^ a b Charney, Jonathan; American Society of International Law (2004). International Maritime Boundaries, Vol. 2–3. Boston, United States: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 2616. ISBN 978-90-411-0345-1. p2179-2192.
  17. ^ "Colombia Jamaica Joint Regime Treaty" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-11-13.
  18. ^ (in Spanish). Government of Colombia, Secretaría del Senado. February 1994. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-11-22. Review of the 1993 Maritime Delimitation Treaty between Colombia and Jamaica.
  19. ^ "Continental, Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of Colombia, 1 of 36" (PDF). José Benito Vives de Andréis Marine and Coastal Research Institute (INVEMAR). 2001. Retrieved 2009-12-22. Topographic map of the Colombia-Jamaica Joint-Regime Area, with the two exclusion circles shown.
  20. ^ a b (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
  21. ^ (in Spanish) El Espectador: Colombia could lose territory, despite the Hague failure 2008-02-15 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ "Territorial and Maritime Dispute" (PDF). International Court of Justice. December 2007. Retrieved 2009-11-17. Nicaragua v. Colombia, Preliminary Objections.
  23. ^ "Nicaragua 1987 (rev. 2014) Constitution - Constitute". www.constituteproject.org. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  24. ^ "U.S. Unincorporated Possessions". World Statesman.
  25. ^ . U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on 2012-04-14. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
  26. ^ Moore, John Bassett (1906). A Digest of International Law, Vol. 8. Washington, United States: Government Printing Office. p. 788. ISBN 978-1-4432-8111-9. p77.
  27. ^ a b . United States Government, Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on 2012-04-14. Retrieved 2008-01-13. lists Serranilla Bank as an insular area under U.S. sovereignty.
  28. ^ (in Spanish) Treaty of exchange between Colombia and the United States, 1972 2011-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ (PDF). United States Government, General Accounting Office. November 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-16. Retrieved 2008-01-13. Page 39 states that U.S. sovereignty over Serranilla Bank is disputed. "Currently, the United States conducts maritime law enforcement operations in and around Serranilla Bank and Bajo Nuevo consistent with U.S. sovereignty claims." This is the only archived document from this source that mentions Serranilla Bank as an insular area.
  30. ^ (in Spanish) Republic of Honduras: Political Constitution of 1982 through 2005 reforms
  31. ^ (in Spanish) Treaty between Colombia and Honduras, 1986
  32. ^ (in Spanish)
  33. ^ "Key Elements of the Honduras-Nicaragua Territorial Conflict". Zamora, Augusto; Central American University. January 2000. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
  34. ^ Nicaragua-Honduras Territorial Dispute 2009-09-27 at the Wayback Machine De Mar, Rebecca. American University, June 2002.
  35. ^ Baker, Kyle. "Caribbean Monk Seal: Gone but Not Forgotten". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2 January 2021.

External links edit

February 15, 2024
serranilla, bank, confused, with, serrana, bank, spanish, isla, serranilla, banco, serranilla, placer, serranilla, partially, submerged, reef, with, small, uninhabited, islets, western, caribbean, situated, about, kilometres, northeast, punta, gorda, nicaragua. Not to be confused with Serrana Bank Serranilla Bank Spanish Isla Serranilla Banco Serranilla and Placer de la Serranilla 2 is a partially submerged reef with small uninhabited islets in the western Caribbean Sea It is situated about 350 kilometres 220 mi northeast of Punta Gorda Nicaragua and roughly 280 kilometres 170 mi southwest of Jamaica 1 The closest neighbouring land feature is Bajo Nuevo Bank located 110 kilometres 68 mi to the east Serranilla BankDisputed reef and islandsSatellite image of Serranilla BankSerranilla BankLocation in the CaribbeanShow map of CaribbeanSerranilla BankLocation in San Andres y ProvidenciaShow map of San Andres y ProvidenciaSerranilla BankLocation off ColombiaShow map of ColombiaGeographyLocationCaribbean SeaCoordinates15 50 N 79 50 W 15 833 N 79 833 W 15 833 79 833 1 Total islands4Major islandsBeacon CayAdministration ColombiaDepartmentSan Andres and ProvidenciaClaimed by United States Honduras JamaicaDemographicsPopulation0Serranilla Bank was first shown on Spanish maps in 1510 It is administered by Colombia as part of the department of San Andres and Providencia 3 4 The reef is subject to a sovereignty dispute involving Colombia and the United States A previous claim by Honduras was resolved in favor of Colombia when the two countries approved a treaty establishing their maritime boundaries 5 Jamaica s claim was resolved when it established a joint regime area with overlapping maritime boundaries in 1993 but acknowledging Colombian control of Serranilla and Bajo Nuevo banks 6 In 2012 in regards to Nicaraguan claims to the islands the International Court of Justice ICJ upheld Colombia s sovereignty over the bank although the judgment does not analyze or mention the U S claim over the reef 7 Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Notable fauna 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksGeography editSerranilla Bank is a former atoll now a mostly submerged carbonate platform consisting of shallow reef environments It is about 40 kilometres 25 mi in length and 32 kilometres 20 mi in width covering an area of over 1 200 square kilometres 460 sq mi almost entirely under water Three small cays and two rocks emerge above the water to form the bank s islands These are West Breaker Middle Cay East Cay Beacon Cay and Northeast Breaker 8 They are largely barren with sparse vegetation of bushes and some trees Many shipwrecks are located in its vicinity 9 The bank lacks coral reefs and has minimal sediment cover Accretion of the bank is not keeping up with sea level rise The southeastern portion is covered mainly by hardgrounds while the rest of the bank is mostly covered by thin Halimeda sediments 10 Beacon Cay is the largest islet in the Bank It is overbuilt with small military facilities which house a small rotating garrison of Colombian naval personnel There is a lighthouse on a coral ledge in the southwest approach to the bank It is a 33 metre 108 ft tall skeletal tower built atop a 3 storey crew residence The lamp emits a focal plane beam of light as two white flashes every 20 seconds The current lighthouse was first erected in 1982 11 and was reconstructed in May 2008 by the Colombian Ministry of Defence It is currently maintained by the Colombian Navy and overseen by the state s Maritime Authority 8 12 13 History editThe Serranilla Bank was first shown on Spanish maps in 1510 as Placer de la Serranilla It was mentioned by Louis Michel Aury whose ship was shipwrecked on it in 1820 14 In later history it has been the subject of conflicting claims by a number of sovereign states in most cases the dispute stems from attempts by a state to expand its exclusive economic zone over the surrounding seas Between 1982 and 1986 Colombia maintained a formal agreement with Jamaica which granted regulated fishing rights to Jamaican vessels within the territorial waters of Serranilla Bank and nearby Bajo Nuevo Bank 15 16 In November 1993 the two states agreed upon a maritime delimitation treaty establishing a Joint Regime Area to cooperatively manage and exploit living and non living resources in designated waters between the two banks 17 However the territorial waters immediately surrounding the cays themselves were excluded from the zone of joint control as Colombia considers these areas to be part of her coastal waters 18 19 The agreement came into force in March 1994 16 Nicaragua formerly claimed all the islands on its continental shelf 20 covering an area of over 50 000 km2 in the Caribbean Sea including the Serranilla Bank and all islands associated with the San Andres and Providencia archipelagoes It had persistently pursued this claim against Colombia in the International Court of Justice ICJ filing cases in both 2001 and 2007 21 22 Nicaragua formally accepted the ICJ s 2012 ruling of Colombian sovereignty in a 2014 constitutional amendment 23 The United States claim was made in 1879 24 and 1880 under the Guano Islands Act 25 by James W Jennett 26 27 Most claims made by the U S over the guano islands in this region were officially renounced in a treaty with Colombia dated September 1972 28 But whether or not Serranilla Bank was included in the agreement is disputed there is no specific mention of the feature in the treaty and as per Article 7 of the said treaty only matters specifically mentioned in the document are subject to it The U S considers the reef to be an insular area 27 29 Honduras claimed Serranilla Bank as part of its national territory in Article 10 of its Constitution 30 In 1986 it agreed upon a maritime boundary demarcation with Colombia that excluded Honduras of any control over the bank or its surrounding waters 4 31 The ratification of this boundary on 20 December 1999 32 proved to be controversial within Honduras as it ensured that the state implicitly recognised Colombia s sovereignty over the claimed territory 33 At that time Nicaragua disputed Honduras legal right to hand over these areas before the ICJ 20 34 Despite the agreement with Colombia however the Honduran government has yet to officially renounce the claim in the Constitution Notable fauna editIn 1952 Serranilla bank was the site of the last sighting of the now extinct Caribbean monk seal 35 See also editAlice Shoal List of Guano Island claims Rosalind BankReferences edit a b Sailing Directions Enroute Caribbean Sea PDF Vol II 7th ed National Geospatial Intelligence Agency 2001 p 95 Derrotero de las islas Antillas y de las costas orientales de America p 333 in Spanish Armada de la Republica de Colombia Forces and Commands area is under the jurisdiction of Comando Especifico de San Andres y Providencia a b Mapa Oficial Fronteras Terrestriales y Maritima Convenciones PDF Instituto Geografico Agustin Codazzi Retrieved 2009 10 25 permanent dead link An official map of Colombian borders with treaty dates Maritime Delimitation Treaty between Colombia and Honduras PDF U N Delimitation Treaties InfoBase 1986 08 02 Retrieved 2023 05 27 Diemer Christian Separovic Amalija 2006 Territorial questions and maritime delimitation with regard to Nicaragua s claims to the San Andres Archipelago PDF Zeitschrift fur auslandisches offentliches Recht und Volkerrecht 66 167 186 International Court of Justice 2012 Territorial and maritime dispute Nicaragua vs Colombia PDF Retrieved 2012 11 27 a b Sanandresislas description and photographs of Serranilla Bank Marx Robert F 1987 Shipwrecks in the Americas New York Dover Publications pp 414 417 ISBN 978 0 486 25514 9 Triffleman Nina J July 1992 Morphology sediments and depositional environments of a small carbonate platform Serranilla Bank Nicaraguan Rise Southwest Caribbean Sea Journal of Sedimentary Research 62 4 591 606 doi 10 1306 D426796A 2B26 11D7 8648000102C1865D Retrieved 2 January 2021 Anexo 7 PDF in Spanish Colombian Government Ministry of National Defence August 1997 Archived from the original PDF on 2011 10 09 Retrieved 2009 12 22 Legal status of the Banks of Serranilla and Bajo Nuevo page 8 Contract No 153 PDF in Spanish Colombian Government Ministerio de Defensa Nacional February 2008 Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 07 Retrieved 2009 10 23 Contract detail between Colombian Defense Ministry and private contractor Tecnosoluciones Ltda for the replacement of various metal lighthouse structures including on Serranilla Bank Grupo de Senalizacion Maritima del Caribe PDF in Spanish Colombian Government Ministry of National Defence May 2008 Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 07 Retrieved 2009 11 16 Photographs of Colombian lighthouses with Serranilla Bank shown pages 4 5 Codazzi Agustin 1970 XII Viaje del general Aury a Santafe por el Magdalena XXI General Aury s trip to Santafe by the Magdalena In Gerulewicz Marisa Vannini de ed Las Memorias de Agustin Codazzi in Spanish Caracas Univ Central de Venezuela Fishing Agreement Between Jamaica and the Republic of Colombia PDF United Nations November 1982 Retrieved 2009 11 20 Fishing agreement which permits regulated fishing rights to Jamaican vessels around Bajo Nuevo and Serranilla Banks a b Charney Jonathan American Society of International Law 2004 International Maritime Boundaries Vol 2 3 Boston United States Martinus Nijhoff Publishers p 2616 ISBN 978 90 411 0345 1 p2179 2192 Colombia Jamaica Joint Regime Treaty PDF Retrieved 2011 11 13 Sentencia No C 045 94 in Spanish Government of Colombia Secretaria del Senado February 1994 Archived from the original on 2011 07 07 Retrieved 2009 11 22 Review of the 1993 Maritime Delimitation Treaty between Colombia and Jamaica Continental Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of Colombia 1 of 36 PDF Jose Benito Vives de Andreis Marine and Coastal Research Institute INVEMAR 2001 Retrieved 2009 12 22 Topographic map of the Colombia Jamaica Joint Regime Area with the two exclusion circles shown a b The Republic of Nicaragua v The Republic of Colombia CCJ Case File PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 10 09 Retrieved 2011 11 13 in Spanish El Espectador Colombia could lose territory despite the Hague failure Archived 2008 02 15 at the Wayback Machine Territorial and Maritime Dispute PDF International Court of Justice December 2007 Retrieved 2009 11 17 Nicaragua v Colombia Preliminary Objections Nicaragua 1987 rev 2014 Constitution Constitute www constituteproject org Retrieved 2023 12 13 U S Unincorporated Possessions World Statesman Acquisition Process of Insular Areas U S Department of the Interior Office of Insular Affairs Archived from the original on 2012 04 14 Retrieved 2008 01 13 Moore John Bassett 1906 A Digest of International Law Vol 8 Washington United States Government Printing Office p 788 ISBN 978 1 4432 8111 9 p77 a b Acquisition Process of Insular Areas United States Government Department of the Interior Archived from the original on 2012 04 14 Retrieved 2008 01 13 lists Serranilla Bank as an insular area under U S sovereignty in Spanish Treaty of exchange between Colombia and the United States 1972 Archived 2011 05 24 at the Wayback Machine Application of the U S Constitution PDF United States Government General Accounting Office November 1997 Archived from the original PDF on 2008 02 16 Retrieved 2008 01 13 Page 39 states that U S sovereignty over Serranilla Bank is disputed Currently the United States conducts maritime law enforcement operations in and around Serranilla Bank and Bajo Nuevo consistent with U S sovereignty claims This is the only archived document from this source that mentions Serranilla Bank as an insular area in Spanish Republic of Honduras Political Constitution of 1982 through 2005 reforms in Spanish Treaty between Colombia and Honduras 1986 in Spanish Affirmation of Maritime Delimitation Treaty between Honduras and Colombia 1999 Key Elements of the Honduras Nicaragua Territorial Conflict Zamora Augusto Central American University January 2000 Retrieved 2009 10 10 Nicaragua Honduras Territorial Dispute Archived 2009 09 27 at the Wayback Machine De Mar Rebecca American University June 2002 Baker Kyle Caribbean Monk Seal Gone but Not Forgotten U S Fish and Wildlife Service Retrieved 2 January 2021 External links editOceandots at the Wayback Machine archived December 23 2010 aerial image of Serranilla Bank Photos of the islands on Panoramio 1 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Serranilla Bank amp oldid 1207380849, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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