Mailing List Archive Mailing List Archive
Tekkies
A.J. Murphy describes the Northeast wreck diving he enjoys--recovering and
preserving artifacts--even from warships--but not disturbing human remains.
If the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization has
anything to say about it, diving as we know and love it will soon make us all
international criminals.
UNESCO's "International Convention for the Protection of the Underwater
Cultural Heritage" proposes to declare "all evidence of mankind's existence
underwater" to be "Underwater Cultural Heritage" ("UCH") which cannot be
bought, sold or traded. In fact, any nation signing the Convention will have
to abolish all laws or regulations "providing any commercial incentive for
the recovery of UCH". Thus, US admiralty, or maritime law, which has
protected the right of Mel Fisher to salvage the Atocha and the 1715 Fleet
without governmental interference, will be abolished.
All UCH out to 200 nautical miles offshore will belong to the government.
All private salvage and artifact recovery will be illegal. For deepwater
wrecks further offshore, like the Titanic, no artifacts can be landed at the
port of a signator nation.
The Convention is being pushed by the cultural ministries of nations from
around the world that see this as an opportunity to enrich themselves (an
provide job protection) by laying claim to all the world's shipwrecks.
Organizations that are very knowledgable and experienced in finding and
recovering shipwrecks yet find the proposed Convention one-sided and
inequitable are prohibited from participating in the debate.
Wreck divers the world over--and our colleagues who primarily dive
caves--need to unite in outrage against this proposed Convention. While
opposition in the U.S. is organized, very little has been said in other
nations. The Professional Shipwreck Explorers Ass'n ("ProSEA") has been
formed to fight the UNESCO Convention. We need your support! Membership
info is available through prosea@sh*.ne*
Get informed. Speak up. Defend your rights before diving as we know and
love it--like the sunken vessels we explore--is forever wrecked.
Peter Hess
Technical Wreck Diver & Admiralty Attorney
--
Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'.
Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
Navigate by Author:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Subject Search Index]
[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]
[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]