Hi All
Thought this was an intesreting piece in the Tampa Bay Business Journal @
http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2007/07/09/daily38.htmlA photograph of the Research Vessel Ocean Alert taken by Vladimir can be seen @
http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=349066"Odyssey Marine ship seized near Spain
Tampa Bay Business Journal - 4:16 PM EDT Thursday, July 12, 2007
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One of Odyssey Marine Exploration's ships, Ocean Alert, was boarded Thursday in Spanish waters.
Spanish authorities boarded the ship 3.5 miles off Europa Point, near Gibraltar.
The Spanish Coast Guard subsequently ordered the Ocean Alert to head to the port of Algeciras in Spain.
The ship has now arrived in Algeciras, and an inspection of the vessel has commenced. An Odyssey representative has been informed that the inspection may take as long as two to three days, and it is anticipated that the vessel will be permitted to leave at the conclusion of the inspection, the company said in a release.
The boarding is connected with the dispute with Spain over ownership of the $500 million in gold and silver coins discovered by Odyssey explorers in May off the coast of England. Spanish authorities immediately questioned the origin of the ship, code-named "Black Swan" by Odyssey and have demanded better identification of the ship from Odyssey.
It has since filed claims in a U.S. federal court, arguing that it was entitled to the treasure if the ship was of Spanish origin.
Odyssey recently provided a 109-page legal affidavit to authorities in the Spanish Federal government, the Junta de Andaluc