Shipwreck finders must open records to Spain
The Spanish government will receive detailed information about a shipwreck site where a Florida company found $500 million worth of coins and artifacts last year, a federal judge ruled Thursday.
Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. will reveal the location of the shipwreck and items found onboard, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Pizzo said. The company will also disclose the locations of two other wrecks, he said.
The information, which includes videos and photos taken from the sites, will not be made public, the judge said. Odyssey is required to turn over the information within two weeks, and Spanish representatives will be allowed to view the treasure.
Spain has sought the information in federal court because it contends it is entitled to the treasure if it comes from one of its sunken ships, or if the artifacts were removed from Spain’s territorial waters.
The agreement is “best for everybody,” Odyssey co-founder Greg Stemm said after the hearing. “Now we can talk about the facts.”
Odyssey found three shipwreck sites that piqued the interest of the Spanish. The company dubbed the most lucrative “Black Swan” and declined to discuss details of the coins or artifacts.
Court records show the Black Swan site is 200 miles west of Gibraltar, a British territory at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.
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