Spain and Colombia disagree on ownership of recently-found shipwreck worth billions

CARTAGENA, December 14th, 2015 (EFE and ICR News) Spain and Colombia on the weekend admitted to having “disagreements” about the legal ownership of a recently-found Spanish galleon that sank in 1708 near Cartagena – in Colombian waters – but they did agree to seek ways to preserve and safeguard the wreck.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo and his Colombian counterpart, Maria Angela Holguin, along with Bogota’s culture minister, Mariana Garces, on Saturday met within the framework of the summit of Ibero-American foreign ministers being held in Cartagena, Colombia.

The ministers delivered a joint statement at which they took no questions in Cartagena and admitted to having “legal disagreements” about the ownership of the San Jose, but they agreed to work together to seek ways to protect “a wreck that is part of the heritage of humanity.”

Spain’s chief diplomat took advantage of his presence at the summit to gather information about the galleon, which sank on June 8, 1708, while carrying a cargo of gold and silver, and was found on Nov. 27 by Colombian authorities.

On Dec. 9, the Spanish government sent a verbal note to Colombia in which is asked for all available information about the find and explained the reasons for its stance on the matter.

Garcia-Margallo and Holguin emphasized the “superb” relations that prevail between Madrid and Bogota and said they were certain that an acceptable solution will be found regarding the San Jose.

The Colombian foreign minister emphasized that the galleon’s cargo “will not be divided” between Spain and Colombia.

Experts earlier this month described the San Jose as the “holy grail of shipwrecks”, with a trove of gold, silver and jewels valued somewhere between USD $4 billion and $17 billion.