Another False "Start"

We suppose we should have seen this as inevitable: After first claiming that Odyssey recovered the Black Swan (BS) treasure from Spanish territorial waters, then later Portugal's, the HHI nitwiterrati are now stating the obvious by pointing out the company actually found the treasure within the Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), an area which primarily governs fisheries and resource management.

So, do you think Doc and Solomon disclaim their initial, cleary mistaken statements? Of course not. They just move on unencumbered, magically freed from the stupidity and wrongness of earlier claims. In other words, if at first you don't succeed, try, try to confuse and lie again. Well, that's what the historic record is for and why we're here to present it to you.

Does the BS fall into Portugal's EEZ, at least according to Odyssey? Yes. So what?

Under the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the EEZ is covered by Articles 56, 58 and 59. The EEZ extends from the land to 200 nautical miles out and defines nation's rights to explore and exploit natural resources, as well as to exercise jurisdiction over marine science research and environmental protection. Freedom of navigation and over-flight, laying of submarine cables and pipelines, as well as other uses consented on the high seas, are allowed.

Interestingly, the U.S. delegation to UNESCO opposes Article 5 of the Draft Convention, which would allow coastal states to control underwater cultural heritage on their continental shelf or EEZ. The U.S. regards this provision as an unacceptable expansion of rights, or "creeping jurisdiction," in violation of the LOS treaty. The U.S. delegation has instead proposed a provision that would call on states that claim a contiguous zone to adopt laws and regulations to control underwater cultural heritage in that specific zone, something that is already allowed under LOS.

So, once again HHI is trying to make yet another pig fly. As usual, all they accomplish is being covered in its muck and mire.