Violation of graves at sea can hardly be prevented due to lack of supervision

Despite legal protection, the violation of marine graves can hardly be prevented due to a lack of effective supervision. That says extraordinary professor of maritime archaeology André van Holk from the University of Groningen. Not only in the Java Sea, but also in the North Sea and the Wadden Sea, shipwrecks are not safe for wreck divers who regularly violate war graves in search of interesting objects.

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Graves on seabed outlawed

Not only in the Java Sea, but also in the Wadden Sea and the North Sea, war graves are being violated on the seabed. That is what researcher Remy Luttik from Groningen says. He recently contacted relatives of British sailors who found their grave in the Dutch coastal waters, because he is worried about the violations of the graves of deceased passengers. In England, the issue leads to much fuss.

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Letter from ministers to sport-diving Netherlands

Dear sport divers from the Netherlands, (July 3, 2018) The Netherlands has a rich maritime past. The tangible remains of this past are often under water, including in the form of numerous shipwrecks, inside and outside the Netherlands. These wrecks are a source of memory, experience and knowledge. They are often also ecological hot spots. For relatives of people who died at sea, the wreck locations also have a very personal meaning. It is the final resting place of their loved ones.

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Master and owner charged for illegal salvage of sunken vessel

Court hears how Dutch company conducted unlicensed salvage operations on sunken merchant vessel. Published 7 August 2018 From: Marine Management Organisation Dutch company Friendship Offshore BV has been convicted of conducting an unlicensed salvaging operation on a sunken merchant vessel named the SS Harrovian in 2016. The case was heard at Newcastle Crown Court on the 26 July 2018, in a prosecution brought by the MMO.

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