Wrecks and submerged sites

Ancient wrecks, often laden with amphorae, ceramics or statues, are the most sought after by looters. Wrecks of the modern period — merchant ships, galleons, trading-company ships — contain sometimes precious cargoes. Warship wrecks are also graves, to be treated with respect.

Contemporary wrecks, including those of the two world wars, receive growing attention, since they are numerous, often well preserved and steeped in history.

Looting by unscrupulous divers remains the main threat to accessible sites. Industrial fishing, notably bottom trawling, destroys entire wrecks. Underwater works — dredging, cables, wind turbines, ports — can damage them if they have not been recorded.

Climate change also plays a part: rising waters, coastal erosion and stronger storms expose or move sites. Wrecks in shallow water are particularly vulnerable.

The first step is the inventory: locate, describe, date. States with a national inventory can build wrecks into their planning schemes and require prior studies. OIMAP has helped twenty-four States to set up or enrich their inventory.

Protection then goes through delimiting zones, monitoring, diving permits and, for major sites, creating underwater archaeological parks. Local communities are involved in management.

Wrecks can be showcased through museums, digital exhibitions, supervised dive trails or virtual visits. These schemes make the heritage known, generate income and create an audience ready to defend it.

Coastal States that have developed such projects note a fall in looting: when residents draw a benefit from the site, they become its first guardians.