<P> In the aftermath of the war, hundreds of thousands of tons of chemical weapons were disposed of by being dumped in the North Sea . </P> <P> After the war, the North Sea lost much of its military significance because it is bordered only by NATO member - states . However, it gained significant economic importance in the 1960s as the states around the North Sea began full - scale exploitation of its oil and gas resources . The North Sea continues to be an active trade route . </P> <P> Countries that border the North Sea all claim the 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) of territorial waters, within which they have exclusive fishing rights . The Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union (EU) exists to coordinate fishing rights and assist with disputes between EU states and the EU border state of Norway . </P> <P> After the discovery of mineral resources in the North Sea, the Convention on the Continental Shelf established country rights largely divided along the median line . The median line is defined as the line "every point of which is equidistant from the nearest points of the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea of each State is measured ." The ocean floor border between Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark was only reapportioned after protracted negotiations and a judgement of the International Court of Justice . </P>

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