Timor Sea

The Timor Sea (Indonesian: Laut Timor; Portuguese: Mar de Timor; Tetum: Tasi Mane or Tasi Timór) is a shallow sea in the Indian Ocean. It lies north of Australia, south of the island of Timor, and is bordered by Timor-Leste to the north and Indonesia to the northwest. To the east, it meets the Arafura Sea.

The sea holds important resources, including reefs, small islands, and underwater stores of oil and gas. When these resources were found, countries made agreements, leading to the Timor Sea Treaty.

Because the Timor Sea sits near the Ring of Fire, it can feel strong earthquakes. It is also close to the Equator, so big storms can develop there.

In 2009, the Timor Sea had a large oil spill. Some scientists think the first people to live in Australia may have crossed this sea long ago when the water was lower, coming from the Malay Archipelago.

Etymology

The Timor Sea is named after the island of Timor, which is to its north. The island's name comes from a word in the Malay language meaning "east."

In the local Tetum language, the Timor Sea is called tasi mane, meaning "male sea." The nearby 'Ombai-Wetar Strait' is called tasi feto, meaning "female sea."

Geography

The Timor Sea is a body of water next to the island of Timor. To the east, it connects to the Arafura Sea. It touches parts of Australia’s north coast, including areas near the city of Darwin. Several rivers flow into the Timor Sea from Australia and nearby regions.

The Timor Sea is about 480 km wide and covers a large area. Its deepest point, called the Timor Trough, is more than 3,300 meters deep. Most of the sea is much shallower, with many parts less than 200 meters deep.

History

World War II

Main article: Battle of Timor (1942–43)

During World War II, Japanese ships in the Timor Sea attacked places like Darwin in Australia. A big attack happened on February 19, 1942, when Japanese planes hit Darwin and sank some ships. This began the Battle of Timor in the Pacific part of the war.

Hydrology

Timor Current

The Timor Current is a large flow of water that moves southwest in the Timor Sea. It helps carry water from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean through the Indonesian Throughflow.

Hydrocarbon reserves

Beneath the Timor Sea lie large reserves of oil and gas. In 1974, a well found hydrocarbons, showing the area's potential. Several offshore oil and gas projects are now in operation, with more being explored.

The largest project is the Bayu-Undan field, which began producing gas in 2004. This gas travels through a pipeline to a plant in Darwin, where it is turned into liquid for export to Japan. The Ichthys gas field, discovered in 2000, began producing gas in 2018. Other projects include the Puffin oilfield and the Greater Sunrise gas field. There are also plans for new projects like the Barossa gas field.

Territorial dispute

Since oil was found in the Timor Sea in the 1970s, countries have disagreed about who owns the oil and gas. This started between Australia and Indonesia, but they made a deal called the Timor Gap Treaty. Later, when Timor-Leste became a country in 1999, they began new talks with Australia, leading to the Timor Sea Treaty.

For many years, Australia claimed part of the sea up to a certain line, but Timor-Leste wanted the line to be in the middle. In 2018, Australia agreed to a new line in the middle.

Timor Sea Treaty

The Timor Sea Treaty was signed on May 20, 2002. It created a group to manage oil and gas in a shared area. The treaty was approved in February 2007.

Under this treaty, money from oil and gas is shared, with most going to Timor-Leste. Some people thought the treaty wasn’t perfect because it didn’t fully decide the sea border between the two countries.

2018 Maritime Boundaries Treaty

The Australia–Timor Leste Treaty Establishing Their Maritime Boundaries in the Timor Sea was signed on March 6, 2018, at the United Nations in New York.