The Duty to Protect Our Ocean Heritage from Potentially Polluting Wrecks
Dublin Core
Title
The Duty to Protect Our Ocean Heritage from Potentially Polluting Wrecks
Description
The importance of conserving our ocean heritage is well recognised and was codified in international law in the
1972 World Heritage Convention. The 1982 Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) recognises a duty to protect
‘objects of an archaeological or historical nature’ but is devoid of details for implementation. The 2001
UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage provides sorely needed details in the
various maritime zones in accordance with the LOSC and well accepted international standards of archaeology
and conservation. This paper summarises the relevant international law to help address the major threats to UCH
from Potentially Polluting Wrecks (PPWs).
1972 World Heritage Convention. The 1982 Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) recognises a duty to protect
‘objects of an archaeological or historical nature’ but is devoid of details for implementation. The 2001
UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage provides sorely needed details in the
various maritime zones in accordance with the LOSC and well accepted international standards of archaeology
and conservation. This paper summarises the relevant international law to help address the major threats to UCH
from Potentially Polluting Wrecks (PPWs).
Creator
Ole Varmer
Mariano Aznar
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
2023
Language
English
Bibliographic Citation
Varmer, Ole. 2023. “The Duty to Protect Our Ocean Heritage from Potentially Polluting Wrecks (PPWs).” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Elena Perez-Alvaro. In Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1906
Files
Citation
Ole Varmer and Mariano Aznar, “The Duty to Protect Our Ocean Heritage from Potentially Polluting Wrecks,” APCONF-MUCH Proceedings Recently Added Items, accessed October 24, 2026, https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/items/show/537.