Attention Wal*Mart Shoppers

As i understand, basically if it's wrecked and abandoned on the high seas, it's fair game...that's why those treasure hunters can get away with salvaging gold off old shipwrecks. Granted, this ship probably isn't abandoned (though, from the looks of the crack in the ship's side, she probably is) but still, i might poke around there--you never know, one of those containers might be filled with model trains!
 
Oh ... No that ship was full of Trainz simulator 12 CD's ... and chinese bird clocks ... mismatched Nike sneakers will be washing ashore for months !
 
scratchy said:
Isnt there some maritime code that says anything that washes up on a beach can be claimed or something like that? I might need to nip off to NZ if thats the case, get me a container load of stuff bears or some rubbish..
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Not always, in the UK, taking goods that have washed up and have come from a ship that has lost its cargo, is considered theft, although, looking at some articles, you have to declare it.
 
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Wessex_Electric_Nutter said:
Not always, in the UK, taking goods that have washed up and have come from a ship that has lost its cargo, is considered theft, although, looking at some articles, you have to declare it.
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It's always 'theft' if you take washed up cargo.

Salvage refers to the legal right to compensation for saving the cargo or ship for its owner. That is, you have to a) return it to them, and b) actively be trying to preserve it's saleability for them. There also has to be no declared salvage agent for that cargo/ship. Even when all these terms are met, the paperwork involved in declaring salvage is quite intense, and it's been there way for hundreds of years.

Salvage is NOT the right to claim shipwrecked property as your own, never has been. Such a thing would fall under 'treasure finder' laws; Which apply very strict terms on how long an item must be 'missing' before it is claimable by it's finder (it may be possible to have hundreds of years old cargo NOT legally be treasure if you have a declared salvage agent that is actively trying to locate the cargo - I believe the titanic fit under such a definition, since lloyds have actively worked to locate and recover any valuable cargo from the ship since its loss).
 
*heads to a dangerous coastline area dressed as a lighthouse, with binoculars, a huge reflector, a flashing torch and camps out waiting for the Wild Turkey & Coke with ice ship to come past.... :D
 
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