Law Commons^™

Oceans Apart Over Sunken Ships: Is The Underwater Cultural Heritage Convention Really Wrecking Admiralty Law?, Liza J. Bowman

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

This article examines the impact of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage on admiralty law, particularly the law of treasure salvage as applied to shipwrecks in international waters. Despite its many proponents, the Convention has numerous detractors who believe that if it enters into force, it will nullify treasure salvage, a prosperous industry in many areas of the world. Although much tension exists between salvage and the preservation of the underwater cultural heritage as proposed by the Convention, the author concludes that the two are not completely incompatible with one another. Rather, salvors and cultural …