French Agency: How Albanian Wealth Is Robbed

Albania's unexplored waters have become an attraction for treasure hunters seeking ancient objects, pieces of sunken ships and other relics that have been buried at the bottom of the sea for centuries.

French news agency “AFP” has stopped here, bringing an interesting story.

The 450 - mile - long [450 km] coast, which is wet from the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea, points out AFP, has been unattainable during the communist regime, but today the waters are open, luring archaeologists but also treasure robbers eager to explore new territories and sell what they find on the black markets.

The largest share of this wealth is located at a depth of 2030 meters and is easily accessible, without the help of specific equipment, and it has almost disappeared without a trace. Urgent measures are needed to protect underwater property”, said Neritan Ceka, archaeologist.

Expeditions carried out since 2006 have uncovered about 40 ships shipwrecked on the Albanian coast, including tools belonging to the First and Second World Wars. Hundreds of Roman amphoras have also been discovered at the bottom of the sea, covered by marine plants.

The sure thing is that a treasure hunt under the sea brings huge profits”, Moikom Zeqo, archaeologist said.

Vazot can be sold for about 100 euros in Albania and seen in several luxury restaurants, or go to auctions for larger sums in London and other art capitals.

There are those that have ended up in private museums in various parts of the world, like the bell of the unfortunate Austro-Hungarian ship “S S Linz”, which sank on Albania's coast with 1,000 passengers aboard after facing a mine in March 1918.

There are also those divers who seek to strip XX - century ships because of their high - quality steel. The steel produced before the world's nuclear explosions is especially tempting, since there are no traces of radioactivity and can be used for delicate medical and other scientific devices.

In June, authorities passed a law classifying sunken ships as “culture samples” and requiring strict licenses for divers. A dream shared by Albanian and foreign experts is that of an underwater museum, such as the one existing in the Turkish town of Bodrum, which can protect artifacts and attract tourists, but this seems difficult.

“Albania has never had the luxury or awareness to understand the great importance this wealth represents for the country's history and Mediterranean civilisation”, Auron Tare said.