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Judge says treasure hunters may have to disclose identity of ship. |
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IMAC News |
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Mar 9, 08 - 6:15 PM |
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http://htt www.miamiherald.com/775/story/446703.html |
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By MITCH STACY
Associated Press Writer
TAMPA, Fla. -- A federal judge on Thursday said Tampa deep-sea explorers may be forced to provide to the Spanish government their "best available hypothesis" regarding the identity of a shipwreck that yielded an estimated $500 million in treasure.
An attorney for the Spanish government has complained that Odyssey Marine Exploration has failed to comply with a judge's order to hand over enough information about the shipwreck to determine if Spain has a claim to the 17 tons of colonial era coins salvaged from the wreck last year.
Odyssey officials contend the company has complied with the judge's order. And they say they still don't know for certain the identity of the shipwreck, although there is evidence that points to one. But they have so far refused to share that information with Spain.
In a ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday wrote that if Odyssey doesn't fully satisfy the order to hand over details of the wreck, it will be forced to tell Spain the name of the ship the company suspects it has found.
Merryday also handed Odyssey a partial victory, dismissing Spain's challenges to Odyssey's legal right to the treasure as salver. But he declined to grant Odyssey an injunction that would keep Spain from interfering with the wreck site, which is west of the Straits of Gibraltar.
Spain contends the treasure should be returned if it turns out the shipwreck has any connection to that country's cultural heritage.
That remains to be determined for sure, but the wreck is widely believed to be that of the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, a Spanish galleon sunk by a British warship off Portugal in October 1804.
Citing security and other concerns, Odyssey has publicly disclosed few details about the shipwreck and is concerned that any information it hands over to Spain could leak out.
James Goold, the Washington-based attorney for the Spanish government, called Thursday's ruling "a significant victory."
Odyssey officials also claimed victory, contending that Merryday's rulings made it clear that some of Spain's arguments have been invalid.
http://www.miamiherald.com/775/story/446703.html |
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