Odyssey Explorer is followed by a patrol boat of the Spanish Guardia Civil
Oct 16th, 2007 - The Odyssey Explorer has finally left Gibraltar and has been intercepted by Spain's Guardia Civil. Her sister ship, the Ocean Alert, was likewise detained in the middle of last July, inspected, and released. That led to Odyssey Marine asking for damages from the court by filing amended complaints. The Kingdom of Spain was added as a defendant in all three cases, with Odyssey seeking compensation for losses sustained through Spain’s actions obstructing Odyssey’s ability to conduct operations. Odyssey is seeking not only relief in the form of a set-off of any award Spain may ultimately receive on any shipwreck, but also affirmative relief for damages caused by Spain's interference with Odyssey's rights to all three sites. In its pleadings Odyssey refers to the activities in Spain during the past months regarding the illegal boarding and seizure of Odyssey’s survey vessel, the Ocean Alert and the continued illegal effective blockade of the Company’s archaeological recovery vessel, the Odyssey Explorer.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7037192.stm
The interception of the treasure-hunt ship off the coast of Gibraltar is the latest broadside in a tense battle between a US-based salvage company and the Kingdom of Spain over an unidentified shipwreck and the ownership of its rich haul of gold and silver coins.
Odyssey says Spain had blockaded its Explorer salvage vessel
On Tuesday, patrol boats from Spain's maritime police intercepted the 76m Odyssey Explorer, owned by underwater salvage firm Odyssey Marine International, three miles off the coast of Gibraltar. It was escorted to the Spanish port of Algeciras.
Spain's Civil Guard has been keeping a close eye on the company's vessel since a Spanish judge ordered that it be detained and searched if it left port in Gibraltar.
The company says its recovery vessel has been effectively blockaded since the ruling in June. Spain believes it could provide clues to the identity and location of the wreck that yielded half-a-million colonial era silver and gold coins.
It suspects that a Spanish galleon is being secretly plundered - or that the wreck lies in Spanish waters.
Odyssey Marine Explorations - which became the most famous deep water treasure hunting company when it announced the discovery last May - says it is keeping the location of the wreck secret, to protect the site from looters.
All it is saying is that the wreck - codenamed Black Swan - is somewhere in the Atlantic.