6. Offshore players

A distinction must be made between :

• mining services in producing countries ;

• oil companies (international private companies or majority state-owned companies);

• engineering companies (suppliers of design services to oil companies);

• general contractors (international or local) ;

• operating service companies.

The United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defines the framework within which states can exercise their sovereignty over the exploration and use of resources in the open sea. The EEZ (exclusive economic zone) (figure 31 ) in the open sea extends out to 200...