Jun 08 2009
500 Million Dollar Sunken Treasure - Back to Spain?
Spain wants back its sunken treasure that was found by an American salvage team (Odyssey Marine Exploration.) and they mean business. In 2007, the US based diving company salvaged 500,000 silver and gold coins from the Strait of Gibraltar. Spain testifies that the warship Mercedes belongs to Spain meaning everything inside is rightfully theirs. A judge based out of Tampa, FL apparently agrees with Spain, making the ruling that the rightful owners of the treasure is Spain.
Spain’s representative went on to elaborate that people should “respect the resting place of sailors who died at sea.” He also went on to say that the Mercedes is the Spanish equivalent of the USS Arizona which was sunk in Pearl Harbor, questioning the morality of it being “OK” for another country to strip the site.
This case will ultimately determine the future of underwater claims. The UN is making drafts now that would make it illegal to commercially exploit vessels, artifacts, and human remains that were continuously underwater for 100 days or more. If this ruling passes the treasures will become “underwater cultural heritage,” meaning the country’s owners are the only people that can salvage the claim.
My thoughts are two fold, one part agreeing that there should be some restrictions on where and what can be salvaged for commercial exploitation. The other part of me thinks of all of the hard work, time, and money that goes into these salvage operations. They do all of the work of finding a wreckage just to have it taken from them. Where can the line be drawn between the two?
Image from REUTERS/Anton Meres
