Note: this topic is from 10/17/2007 . Thanks Freeport.
Posted on 10/17/2007 5:55:23 AM PDT by Freeport
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Spain has again seized an American treasure-hunting ship over a dispute with its owners over who has rights to millions of dollars worth of booty recovered from the sea, officials said.
Spain seized the "Odyssey Explorer" -- owned by Odyssey Marine Exploration based Tampa, Florida -- as it sailed out of port in the British colony of Gibraltar on Tuesday.
Armed Spanish government vessels were waiting for the Explorer when it reached 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) off Gibraltar's shore and entered what Spain considers its territorial waters. The vessels forced the Explorer to dock at Spain's nearby port of Algeciras, a Civil Guard spokesman told CNN.
Once in Algeciras, Explorer's captain refused to allow Spanish officials to board the ship for an inspection, and he was arrested for disobedience and spent Tuesday night in a Spanish jail, the spokesman said.
Officials began the inspection soon after. It is the second time in four months that Spain has halted an Odyssey vessel as it sailed off of Gibraltar.
Spain "intercepted and seized" the Explorer on Tuesday under a court order on "suspicion that Odyssey, through its ships, is recovering Spanish maritime heritage, in Spanish waters, without authorization," the spokesman said.
Odyssey's owner, Greg Stemm, could not immediately be reached for comment, but he has previously told CNN that Odyssey has been acting in strict compliance with international maritime laws.
Before Tuesday, Spain had filed suit in Tampa, Fla. against the Odyssey, laying claim to at least some of the estimated $500 million in gold and silver pieces that Odyssey recovered from the sea near Spain in May. Odyssey then flew the coins from Gibraltar to Florida for safekeeping.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Perhaps you mean fiddled or harped from America... lol I know, what a smart bleep
How many marines want to die for this guys gold?
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Note: this topic is from 10/17/2007 . Thanks Freeport.
Harrr!
Hopefully they'll get this row straightened out.
Millions for defense, but not one red cent for tribute.
Looks like the Barbary pirates have moved across the Med to Spain.
By the law of the sea the cargo of national naval ships belongs to that nation.
Screw that court and screw Spain. If Spain wants the ill-gotten gain from its colonial period off the ocean floor, it can pay to do it. They hadn’t lifted a finger in the subsequent centuries — just as during their colonial heyday, they’ll rob whomever they like.
I’m not really sure why anybody bothers to hunt for sunken treasure. The legal picture is such a nightmare, with the country of the ship, the country nearest the wreck, and your own country all claiming most if not all of the treasure. Really the worst thing that can happen to a treasure hunter is they actually find some.
Isnt Spain one of the PIGS?
Why should US soldiers defend an non-federal issue? Tired of risking our soldiers, whether for multinationals or stupid people who go to dangerous places.
The practical solution is to go to the Spaniards before any salvage is attempted and cut a deal to share what is recovered. I agree it sucks in this case the Spaniards took it all.
They also seized a ship in international waters.
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