Spania a anunţat că revendică în mod oficial o încărcătură de jumătate de milion de monezi din aur şi argint descoperită într-un vas scufundat de către compania americană Odyssey Marine Exploration. Această companie, specializată în căutarea de comori, a descoperit vasul scufundat anul trecut în nordul Oceanului Atlantic. O relatare de Steve Kingstone:

Ascultaţi povestea

In its legal submission, the Spanish government says the mysterious shipwreck is the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes - a Spanish naval frigate which was destroyed by the British in 1804. The government in Madrid says that, under international law, the vessel and its contents are the property of the Spanish state.

Except, the Mercedes' precious cargo has already been removed. More than half a million gold and silver coins were raised from the wreck by Odyssey Marine Exploration, the NASDAC registered company which located the ship. Weighing seventeen tonnes, the haul was brought ashore in Gibraltar and promptly flown to Florida, where the company is based.

Odyssey Marine Exploration did keep the identity and location of the ship secret for many months - although last month the company publicly acknowledged that the wreck was "possibly" the Mercedes. Odyssey insists it's broken no laws, and suggests the Spanish government had, in effect, already abandoned the ship to its fate.

The coins and other artefacts, whose combined value has been estimated at half a billion dollars, are said by the company to be at a "secure location." A judge in Miami will eventually rule on the rightful ownership of this valuable slice of naval history.

Steve Kingstone, BBC News, Madrid

Ascultaţi cuvintele

vessel
un termen generic pentru orice vas de mari dimensiuni, vapor

Except
(aici) doar că...

precious cargo
încărcătură valoroasă ('cargo' înseamnă 'încărcătura transportată pe un vapor de mari dimensiuni sau avion.

haul
pradă, captură (de obicei este vorba de o sumă importantă obţinută ilegal)

broken no laws
nu a făcut nimic ilegal, nu a încălcat legea

abandoned the ship to its fate
nu s-a mai interesat de soarta vaporului, l-a lăsat să zacă pe fundul mării

artefacts
instrumente sau ornamente de interes istoric sau cultural

combined value has been estimated at
(potrivit opiniei experţilor) preţul tuturor monedelor şi obiectelor de artă găsite pe vas este în jur de...

rule on the rightful ownership
a decide asupra proprietarului de drept

slice
(aici) parte, bucată