War at sea over sunken treasure claimed by Spain
Spain risked a diplomatic incident yesterday when police boarded an American treasure hunter's ship as it sailed from Gibraltar in a tug of war over who profits from the discovery of 250 million pounds of sunken treasure.
The Ocean Alert, a survey vessel, was boarded in international waters as the Spanish civil guard searched for information on the origin of 500,000 silver coins and bars of gold found by Odyssey Marine Exploration. Spain claims that the treasure comes from a Spanish galleon sunk in Spanish waters, while Odyssey says it was found in the Atlantic ocean and has refused to name the wreck.
The treasure was flown from Gibraltar airport to the company's American base in May.
After the boarding, the American captain of Ocean Alert was ordered to the Spanish port of Algeciras, where authorities inspected the crew's possessions and the contents of the ship's computers. No one was arrested.
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
The Ocean Alert, a survey vessel, was boarded in international waters as the Spanish civil guard searched for information on the origin of 500,000 silver coins and bars of gold found by Odyssey Marine Exploration. Spain claims that the treasure comes from a Spanish galleon sunk in Spanish waters, while Odyssey says it was found in the Atlantic ocean and has refused to name the wreck.
The treasure was flown from Gibraltar airport to the company's American base in May.
After the boarding, the American captain of Ocean Alert was ordered to the Spanish port of Algeciras, where authorities inspected the crew's possessions and the contents of the ship's computers. No one was arrested.