Colombia plans to salvage $20 billion in treasure from the shipwreck

The San Jose was owned by the Spanish royal family and was sunk by the British navy in 1708 near Cartagena in Colombia. Only a few people from the crew of about 600 people survived, according to AFP.

The ship sank while being loaded with treasures such as emeralds and about 200 tons of gold coins from the New World to the territory of King Philip V of Spain. Colombian authorities announced the discovery of the wreck in 2015. The estimated value of the current wreck is about 20 billion USD.

Colombian Culture Minister Juan David Correa said an underwater robot would be dispatched to salvage items from the ship.

According to Mr. Correa, between April and May, the robot will take objects on the ship to research plans to salvage the treasure. The process is expected to cost $4.5 million and the robot will operate at a depth of 600m to retrieve objects such as ceramics and pieces of wood “without altering or damaging the wreck”.

Images provided by Colombia show what appears to be gold coins under the San Jose shipwreck. (Photo: Colombian Government).

Alexandra Chadid, a naval researcher, said that after three centuries submerged, most of the items on the ship had undergone “physical and chemical” changes and could decompose when pulled from the ship. water surface.

However, Colombia’s salvage campaign caused controversy because of the number of archaeologically and economically valuable objects on the ship.

Spain claimed the treasure was theirs because it was on their ship. Meanwhile, Bolivia’s Qhara Qhara tribe said they should own the treasure because Spain forced indigenous people to mine the precious metal.

The Colombian government wants to use the country’s own resources to salvage the treasure and ensure it remains in Colombia.

Spanish Ambassador to Colombia Joaquin de Aristegui said he had asked Colombia for a “bilateral agreement” to protect the wreck.

The Qhara Qhara tribe has expressed its willingness to cooperate with the Colombian government and is currently only asking for the return of some items of spiritual significance from the ship. “We hope our ancestors rest in peace,” they said.

Meanwhile, Colombia is still in litigation with US-based salvage company Sea Search Armada, which claims it first found the wreck more than 40 years ago. The case is being conducted at the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration. Sea Search Armada demands $10 billion, half the estimated value of the wreck today.