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Odyssey Sues Spain |
| Name: |
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Jim Sinclair |
| Date Posted: |
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Aug 13, 07 - 8:39 PM |
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jimsinclair@searex-inc.com |
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Here is one to watch!
Jim
US treasure hunters sue Spain
From correspondents in Miami, Florida
August 08, 2007 05:23am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
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US treasure hunters have sued Spain for what they say was the illegal boarding of one of their recovery vessels that was intercepted last month on suspicion it contained booty found in Spanish waters.
The lawsuit, filed in a US court in Florida, is the latest twist in a row that opposes Spain and Odyssey Marine Exploration since the deep sea exploration firm announced in May it discovered hundreds of millions of dollars worth of silver coins and gold objects in the Atlantic Ocean.
Spain suspects the treasure was snatched from a sunken galleon in its territorial waters. Last month, Spanish authorities boarded Odyssey's ship, Ocean Alert off the southern tip of Spain, forced it to dock and searched the vessel before eventually releasing it.
The Tampa, Florida-based company asked the US court to order Spain to pay unspecified compensation for the damages caused by the "illegal boarding" of the Ocean Alert and by the "effective blockade" of another of its ships.
It also asked the court to declare Odyssey the sole owner of the artifacts and the site, which it said "rests on the sea floor of the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of approximately 1100 metres), beyond the territorial or contiguous zone of any state".
The firm flew its 17 tonne haul, billed as the world's biggest maritime treasure trove taken from international waters, from Gibraltar to its US headquarters in Florida in May.
Citing security reasons, Odyssey has refused to disclose the exact location of the shipwreck, which it nicknamed the Black Swan.
The company is also involved in the search for HMS Sussex, an 80 gun warship that sank in the Mediterranean Sea, off Gibraltar in 1694.
Britain and Spain reached agreement in March to have Odyssey conduct the search for the Sussex.
"We continue to hope that Spain will recognise that we are acting in good faith and that we remain ready to cooperate with the Spanish Government on any sites that we discover that may involve Spanish heritage," said Odyssey Chairman John Morris.
"We have invited the Kingdom of Spain to participate in our archaeological projects many times in the past, including the expedition that resulted in the discovery of the Black Swan site," said Mr Morris, stressing the company abided by all legal requirements for marine salvage operations. |
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