“The purpose of the survey is to acquire geological and geophysical information that will enable Seychelles and Mauritius to better assess the potential of the Joint Management Area. The Joint Management Area, covering approximately 396,000 square kilometres, remains the only jointly managed extended continental shelf in the world and is administered by the two island states under a unique bilateral treaty. Vice-President Pillay noted that this is not the first attempt to undertake a seismic survey in the area. Under this model, the company will finance the acquisition of the seismic data and recover its investment through the future licensing of the data to interested parties. This approach enables Seychelles and Mauritius to obtain valuable geological information without bearing the full cost of the survey.