Countries Legislations

Victorian Heritage Act (1995)

Shipwreck legislation in Australia, Victoria

Shipwreck Legislation in Belgium (French)

Désormais, l'Edit de Charles V du 10 décembre 1547 relatif aux épaves, la plus vieille disposition légale encore en application en Belgique, est abrogé. C'est une loi du 9 avril 2007 relative à la découverte et à la protection d'épaves (M.B. du 21 juin 2007) qui a eu raison de ce vénérable texte.

Shipwreck Legislation in Brazil (Portuguese)

Altera a Lei nº 7.542, de 26 de setembro de 1986, que dispõe sobre a pesquisa, exploração, remoção e demolição de coisas ou bens afundados, submersos, encalhados e perdidos em águas sob jurisdição nacional, em terreno de marinha e seus acrescidos e em terrenos marginais, em decorrência de sinistro, alijamento ou fortun

International Convention on Salvage, 1989

To provide for the salvage of certain vessels and for the application in the Republic of the International Convention of Salvage, 1989

Shipwreck Legislation in Ecuador

Reglamento para la Exploracion y Rescate de Naves Naufragadas en el Mar Territorial Ecuatoriano

Shipwreck Legislation in France

Les épaves sont une bonne illustration de l'imprégnation historique du droit maritime. Leur régime a survécu aux bouleversements juridiques provoqués par la Révolution Française

Shipwreck Legislation in Germany

Legislation differs between the 16 federal states of Germany, and authorities are independent of each other.

Shipwreck Legislation in Greece

In order to protect historic wrecks, recreational scuba diving is generally forbidden in Greece or under strict control of a local scuba diving center.

Shipwreck Legislation in India

India has 7,516 km long coastline, 1197 islands and 155,889 sq. km of territorial waters and 2,013,410 sq. km exclusive economic zone.

Regulations in Indonesia

Shipwreck salvage legislation in Indonesia

Shipwreck Legislation in Ireland

In the Republic of Ireland, license is required to search for, survey or dive on an archaeological site or wreck more than 100 years old.

Shipwreck Legislation in Italy

Centro Nazionale Archeologia Subacquea

Malaysian Regulations

In Malaysia the shipwreck excavation license is issued by Museum department and the Port Master.

Shipwreck Legislation in the Netherlands

Since the 1930s, Dutch have reclaimed large tracts of sea. The province of Flevoland, is an example of land that was part of the Zuider Zee Lake.

Shipwreck Legislation in Nordic countries

Basically, a sunken ship is protected if it can assumed to have sunken more than 100 years ago.

Regulations in the Philippines

The "Guidelines on treasure hunting in the Philippines" were previously issued by The Office of the President but since 2004, it became an Administrative Order No. 2004-33 issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Shipwreck Legislation in Portugal

Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Nautica e Subaquatica

The law of long-lost shipwrecks

There are numerous sources of law that could govern a particular shipwreck and its access and use.

Shipwreck Legislation: Legality vs. Morality

...That all property is owned by someone seems a simple statement. Yet there comes a time in the existence of every piece of property when its ownership no longer can be validated. Some things are discarded, some abandoned, some lost, and some stolen....

Shipwreck Legislation in Spain

All the rules in the Kingdom of Spain - shipwreck salvage and underwater archaeology

Legislation on US Naval Vessels and Aircrafts and Underwater Archaeology

Department of the Navy ship and aircraft wrecks are government property in the custody of the U.S. Navy. These seemingly abandoned properties remain government-owned until the Navy takes specific formal action to dispose of them.

Shipwreck Legislation in the United Kingdom

Shipwrecks in the UK are protected by the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973)

Regulations in Vietnam