Position Paper

ShipREX is a voluntary, not for profit, trade organization dedicated to protecting and championing the rights of those companies and individuals in the private sector who investigate, recover, conserve and manage the Underwater Cultural Heritage. (UCH)

ShipREX recognizes and supports the multiple use model of the UCH and is opposed to any legislation or treaties that are designed to make the UCH the exclusive domain of any one group or discipline, or which limit access to sites in international waters.

ShipREX opposes the position taken by UNESCO Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage as currently written. The Convention fails to recognize the multiple use or users of shipwreck resources and categorically denies commercial access to those resources.

ShipREX also believes that UNESCO currently conflicts with other aspects of the law of the sea. To the extent that it sanctions coastal State competence over shipwrecks located beyond that State's contiguous zone, it manifestly contradicts articles 246 and 303(2) of the 1982 Convention. ShipREX recommends that these provisions in the UNESCO final draft be removed and that any treaty project recognize commercial incentives for responsible shipwreck exploration and recovery.

ShipREX believes that it should be mandatory that salvors be awarded incentives similar to those provided by the application of Admiralty Law and the Law of Salvage and Finds by Admiralty Courts of competent jurisdiction. We believe that the law of Salvage and Finds and Admiralty law, as they have evolved toward the consideration of archaeological principles, has the potential to augment the proper utilization of this resource and enhance its protection.

ShipREX shall be vigilant toward and seek to have a voice in any legislation and bi- or multilateral agreements between states that would affect the rights of parties with an interest in the utilization of the UCH.

ShipREX seeks to end the negative rhetoric used against the private sector. The use of terminology that distorts or misrepresents our endeavors will be disputed, and corrective measures to offset this misinformation will be swift and thorough.

ShipREX takes a practical and open approach to the marketing of recovered items so they may be returned to the stream of commerce. ShipREX advocates the position that items, especially those of a highly redundant nature, may be used to generate revenue to defray costs towards ongoing expeditions.

ShipREX promotes the merging of the private and the public interest for the benefit of the UCH and mankind's insatiable desire to have access to, learn about, or personally own a maritime antiquity. ShipREX seeks to foster a spirit of cooperation between all parties with an interest in the Underwater Cultural Heritage.