[Archport] Vídeo de la cadena NBC sobre el tesoro "recuperado" por Odyssey

["Rui Gomes Coelho" <ruigomescoelho@gmail.com>]

Novamente por graça da Terrae Antiquae:

 

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De: terraeantiqvae@yahoogroups.com [mailto:terraeantiqvae@yahoogroups.com] Em nome de Jose Luis Santos Fernández
Enviada: terça-feira, 22 de Maio de 2007 9:29
Para: terraeantiqvae@yahoogroups.com
Assunto: [terraeantiqvae] Vídeo de la cadena NBC sobre el tesoro “recuperado” por Odyssey

 

Quizá este vídeo emitido por la televisión norteamericana pueda aportar pistas a los expertos sobre la naturaleza del mismo.

 

Real-life pirates' booty
May 21: NBC's Michael Okwu reports on the treasure hunters who found 17 tons of gold and silver coins from a colonial ship.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18785078/

 

Spain says sunken treasure might be plunder

 

Authorities conduct investigation; discoverers say they followed the rules

 

MSNBC staff and news service reports

Updated: 9:01 p.m. ET May 21, 2007

 

MADRID, Spain - Spanish authorities are investigating whether one of the world's biggest-ever finds of sunken treasure was plundered from its waters or from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon, the government said Monday.

 

The investigation comes in the wake of last week's disclosure from Odyssey Marine Exploration, a Florida-based treasure-hunting venture, that divers had recovered gold and silver coins worth an estimated $500 million from a shipwreck at an undisclosed location in the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Spain's Culture Ministry called the discovery "suspicious" and said the booty could have come from a wrecked Spanish galleon or the remains of HMS Sussex off the coast of Gibraltar, which Spain and Britain have allowed Odyssey to survey.

 

"Both taking (treasure) from Spanish waters or a Spanish vessel that sunk outside Spanish waters would be illegal," a spokeswoman for the ministry said. "The Culture Ministry reported the suspicion of possible criminal plundering and we alerted the civil guard (police) who are investigating."

 

Research suggests that the 80-cannon Sussex sank during a storm in 1694, while it was on a secret mission to northern Italy. The British ship was supposed to deliver a massive cargo of coins to the Duke of Savoy in return for fighting France. The duke eventually changed sides, which historians speculate was because he failed to receive the British payment and instead gave in to French bribes.

 

In a statement, Odyssey denied that the latest report had anything to do with the Sussex. The company insisted that the find was made in international waters in conformity with the relevant laws, and said it would brief the Spanish government on its activities to counter the "wild allegations" made about the discovery.

 

Gibraltar's government also said the haul itself was not related to the Sussex. However, Ministry of Defense personnel in Gibraltar said that an Odyssey ship berthed in Gibraltar's naval dock last week, and that a specially chartered American Airlines plane landed in the British colony last Wednesday before loading cargo and flying to Tampa, Fla., where Odyssey is headquartered.

 

British newspapers have speculated that Odyssey's mystery treasure ship, code-named the Black Swan, was the Merchant Royal which sank just off the southern tip of England in 1641. Odyssey declined to comment on that speculation.

 

The area where the wreck was found has always been packed with shipping routes and could have been used by Spanish galleons taking gold and silver to the Spanish Netherlands, or even by the Spanish Armada as it sailed to attack England in 1588. Odyssey said the wreck bears the "characteristics of one shipwreck in particular, but some of the evidence gathered to date is inconsistent with our research."

 

News of the discovery, which yielded gold and more than 17 tons of silver coins, shot Odyssey's shares more than 60 percent higher on Friday. They were up another 6 percent at one point on Monday.

 

Jim Shirley, an attorney specializing in maritime issues for the law firm Holland & Knight, said Odyssey's find was still subject to legal challenge.

 

"It's not unusual when there is a large discovery like this for there to be legal wrangling," Shirley told MSNBC.com. "No matter how far it goes back, there often is a claim about ownership."

 

However, the fact that coins were brought back to the United States means a challenge to the ownership of that property would have to be heard in a U.S. court, he said.

 

Odyssey’s side of the story

 

Here is the statement made by Odyssey Marine Exploration on Monday, cast in the form of a Q&A:

 

1. It has been widely reported that this shipwreck could be worth up to $500 million. What is the Company's position on this?

 

"The Company has not estimated the total potential value of the shipwreck, other than to estimate on a preliminary basis a wide range of potential retail prices based on the coins that have been conserved to date.

 

"What we know is that we have recovered over 500,000 silver coins weighing over 17 tons, along with some gold coins and other artifacts. After conservation of the first 6,000 coins, we requested that a numismatist and one of the world's most experienced coin marketers, Nick Bruyer, inspect the coins and provide an opinion of the retail pricing that we could expect from the collection.

 

"Based on Mr. Bruyer's opinion, Odyssey reported that we expected the retail pricing of the silver coins to range from several hundred to four thousand dollars per coin. This wide range of prices would depend on the condition, origin and date of the individual coins. We understand that in a separate interview with a reporter, Mr. Bruyer provided his opinion that the mean retail price of the coins could be approximately $1,000 based on the small sample of coins that he inspected. This was reported as a potential $500 million retail value for the coins, which explains where that figure originated.

 

"Odyssey's position is that until all the coins are conserved, documented and graded, it is impossible to know what the entire collection would bring at retail. Based on the coins that have been conserved to date and that he has been able to inspect, we are comfortable with Mr. Bruyer's opinion that coins from the "Black Swan" will bring from several hundred to four thousand dollars per coin retail. These are estimates that could change significantly when the rest of the coins are conserved and do not include the cost of marketing and sales, so actual revenue to Odyssey would be much lower than retail sales prices. ..."

 

2. There have been reports that the "Black Swan" is a number of different shipwrecks, including HMS Sussex and the Merchant Royal. Are any of these reports correct?

 

"We can confirm that the 'Black Swan' is not HMS Sussex, and that the 'Black Swan' was not found in waters anywhere near the shipwreck believed to be HMS Sussex. Beyond that, we cannot confirm the identity of the shipwreck because we are not certain ourselves. The site is in an area in which a number of Colonial-era shipwrecks were believed to be lost. The 'Black Swan' bears characteristics of one shipwreck in particular, but some of the evidence gathered to date is inconsistent with our research, so we want to be sure of the identity before we announce it."

 

3. It has been reported that the Spanish government is engaging in a "probe" of Odyssey because it is "suspicious" that we have not publicized more information about the shipwreck. Is this true?

 

"We have no knowledge of any such inquiry, and would expect that we would have been the first ones contacted if there was one. In our experience with the Spanish government, with whom we have had a very cordial relationship for many years, we would have been informed directly or through the U.S. or U.K. embassy of any outstanding issues relating to Odyssey's operations.

 

"During the past few days, we have also seen many fanciful media reports from Spain with absolutely no substance in reality. Unfortunately, some of these wild allegations would logically cause concern to the Spanish government. We anticipate presenting the Spanish government with an official account of our activities in order to assure them that many of these media reports relative to the 'Black Swan' are pure fiction.

 

"We have stated clearly that the recovery was conducted in conformity with Salvage Law and the Law of the Sea Convention, beyond the territorial waters or legal jurisdiction of any country. We do not believe that the recovery is subject to sovereign immunity by any nation pursuant to the Law of the Sea Convention.

 

"The coins were brought into the United States with a valid export license granted by the country from which they were exported, and imported legally pursuant to U.S. law.

 

"There was no point at which any aspect of the 'Black Swan' operation was within the jurisdiction of Spanish authorities, and we will be pleased to provide proof of that fact to the Spanish government if requested officially."

 

4. What about the claim that the Spanish Government has now asked the "Guardia Civil" marine patrol to monitor Odyssey's activities?

 

"The Spanish Guardia Civil has always monitored Odyssey's ships in Spanish territorial waters. When operating in or near Spanish territorial waters, we report our operational plans and movements to the Guardia Civil marine patrol before we send our ships to sea. They are able to monitor all our activities visibly with their patrol boats and through radar, so it is illogical to suggest that we have conducted any illicit operations in Spanish territorial waters."

 

5. What happens, if you finally determine the identity of the "Black Swan" and establish that the U.K., Spain, any other country or even individuals may have rights to the shipwreck?

 

"If we are able to confirm that some other entity has a legitimate legal claim to this shipwreck when — and if — the identity is confirmed, we intend to provide legal notice to any and all potential claimants. Even if another entity is able to prove that it has an ownership interest in the shipwreck and/or cargo and that they had not legally abandoned the shipwreck, Odyssey would apply for a salvage award from the Admiralty Court. In cases such as this, salvors are typically awarded up to 90 percent of the recovery.

 

"We do believe that most shipwrecks that we recover, including the 'Black Swan,' will likely result in claims by other parties. Many will be spurious claims, but we anticipate that there might be some legitimate ones as well. In the case of the 'Black Swan,' it is the opinion of our legal counsel that even if a claim is deemed to be legitimate by the courts, Odyssey should still receive title to a significant majority of the recovered goods."

 

6. Why is Odyssey being so "secretive" about the "Black Swan"?

 

"Based on past experience with other shipwrecks, we have found that putting out information about the identity of shipwrecks into the public before we are certain of the identity results in wild speculation about values, ownership rights and scores of other issues. We also believe that it would be an added risk factor to disclose the location of the site because we have publicly stated that we have left a large number of artifacts on the site, and the security risk is obvious."

 

7. Why haven't you determined the identity of the shipwreck yet? When will you announce the identity?

 

"Determining the identity of a shipwreck is complicated. For example, it would be possible to find a French-built ship, with English cannons, Dutch pottery, Chinese porcelain, Turkish pipes, and Venetian trading beads that had been captured by pirates before it sank. Proving the shipwreck's identity in that case might prove very difficult, if not impossible depending on the research available.

 

"In the best interest of all concerned, we will follow our often-stated policy of announcing what we know about the identity of a shipwreck, only after it's confirmed by research."

 

8. There have been reports of a partnership between Odyssey Marine Exploration and the Disney organization. Are these true?

 

"We can confirm that Odyssey and the Disney organization have recently entered into a relationship on a number of projects, and that the two companies are in discussions relative to some new partnership opportunities.

 

"We have immense respect for Disney and believe that a combination of Odyssey's authentic deep-ocean adventures coupled with Disney's storytelling, filmmaking, television and marketing capabilities will reap benefits for both companies, while providing the public with an unprecedented opportunity to enjoy the thrill of deep-ocean exploration."

 

This report includes information from Reuters, MSNBC.com and Odyssey Marine Exploration. The original version of this story made an unclear reference to jurisdictional issues surrounding an earlier salvage case, the $400 million Atocha treasure find. 

 

Source: © 2007 MSNBC Interactive

Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18785078/