No doubt a bunch of ill-informed academics behind this, it limits the countries you can operate from or return to but does not fully protect the wreck.
This has a very negative effect on the archaeology community and has grave consequence for historically important shipwrecks worldwide. If UNESSCO, s policy wins through, every wreck will be left to rot on the seabed. How can they say a wreck is protected by the very nature of the oceans, mechanical attrition, decomposition of organic material and the process if galvanic corrosion wrecks will slowly dissolve into the seabed?
The article again brings forwarded the issue of a shipwreck being a grave, the whole of Europe is a grave, indeed a war grave, it does not stop farmers farming or motor ways being built, instead when a grave is discovered proactive measures are taken and archaeologist employed to insure the remain are removed to be buried in a proper respectful manner in a proper place.
Governments in general, and the archaeological community in particular, especially the underwater archaeological academic world, have been strongly opposed to, and very combative against, the practices of any kind of commercial work performed on historical shipwrecks. They have done so with extremism and determination, succeeding in describing anybody involved in this practice as a “treasure hunter”, a “pirate”, a “tomb robber” or worse. Their main complaint is that salvage companies do not care about preserving history, because they are only interested in the artefacts, or conducting sound archaeological practices (not always necessarily true), but only about making money for their investors (mostly true).
Their main argument is that by selling these items recovered from the sea, and dividing or splitting the collection, the integrity of the archaeological record is lost. As a result, the treasures and artefacts are spread all over the world, to be sold to collectors or tourists, and its access to the general public, and the academic community, vanishes forever (which is actually a valid point).
Archaeology is the study of a million years of human behaviour. Compared to other arts and humanities, archaeology is as valuable as music, art, literature and history. It should not be used to limit humanity by siding with unrealistic measures that denies humans the right to continue practice that have been taking place for hundreds of years.
By placing exclusions on shipwrecks, we are abounding such a wealth of educational material in the seabed, that through partnership with archaeologist and salvor, s could provide such a vital resource for todays and future generations to study.
A balance is needed, policy and guide lines put in place by all governments to allow commercial salvage on historical shipwrecks. In some cases guide lines would forbid the sale of artefacts, therefore a trust would need to be formed to keep complete collections together with only a cross section artefacts being held or displayed in a Museum, coins and bullion should be sold, how many coins do you need sitting in a museum after all they are legal tender a commodity more than an artefact.
Most countries have cultural patrimony laws that prohibit the sale of artefacts recovered from the ocean floor. Therefore, there is no incentive to find and excavate these thousands of shipwrecks. Similarly, local government and their institutions are not able to attempt these endeavours on their own, due to the very high costs and the ever-shrinking heritage and cultural department budgets. Everyone loses under the current regime: commercial archaeology companies do not get to develop underwater projects; scientists, historians and archaeologists do not get to do their academic work; the public does not get to enjoy the exhibits; and cities that could host them do not get to benefit from the commercial development that these shipwrecks provide and represent as proven tourist attractions, a whole industry is left on the sea bed, everybody loses.
It is time to get proactive about shipwrecks, to have a way forward that protects everyone’s rights and historically important material while working together, to provide an education avenue for archaeology students to have hands on experience, for collectors to have something to collect and for Cities and town to have museums that reflect the Maritime history associated with us all and you and me to have an interest and dreams to chase.
All the other factors still apply.
