Print
See related documents
Recommendation 1486 (2000)
Maritime and fluvial cultural heritage
1. The Assembly is aware of the historical
significance of the sea and inland waterways as routes of cultural transmission
and exchange in the development of Europe and its contacts with the rest of the
world.
2. In 1978, the Assembly adopted Recommendation 848 on the underwater cultural heritage.
3. However, the Committee of Ministers failed to bring to fruition one of
the main proposals, namely the elaboration of a European convention on the
protection of the underwater cultural heritage.
4. Nevertheless, certain elements of Recommendation 848 were included in the revised European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (1992).
5. The Assembly observes that recent technological advances in deep-sea
diving now render vulnerable many well-preserved wrecks in international waters
that were previously inaccessible.
6. Their commercial exploitation is encouraged by the publicity given to
spectacular achievements such as the location and recoveries from the Titanic,
and the associated success of the recent film.
7. There is also a threat to the maritime and fluvial heritage from
irresponsible exploitation of the oceans and commercial and industrial
operations in inland waters, on the coasts and in inland waterways.
8. The Assembly recognises that the past twenty years have witnessed the
emergence of Europe-wide interest in the maritime and fluvial heritage, and
sees the need for co-ordination and co-operation and for the encouragement of
networks of experts and non-governmental bodies in such related fields as
underwater archaeology, shipping, maritime museums or scientific
laboratories.
9. The Assembly observes the varying degrees of success with which defunct
maritime and fluvial installations are being converted to alternative
uses.
10. The Assembly further observes the increased attraction of traditional
maritime and fluvial vessels for interest and for leisure activities.
11. The Assembly notes with approval the Memorandum of Understanding on the
mutual recognition of certificates for the safe operation of traditional ships,
signed by the maritime authorities of seven European nations on 8 September
2000.
12. The Assembly notes, however, with concern that in some countries vessels
of great historic value are at risk of being lost for want of resources for
their maintenance.
13. The Assembly therefore recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
13.1. encourage European co-operation for the
protection of the maritime and fluvial heritage with regard to sunken wrecks
and associated objects, the immovable heritage and the documentary record with
emphasis on collaboration between the public authorities and interested
non-governmental bodies and persons from the commercial, academic, sports
voluntary or private sectors;
13.2. provide the necessary resources for the European Foundation for
Heritage Skills (FEMP) to make a meaningful contribution to this
co-operation;
13.3. ensure that the cultural dimension is fully incorporated in any European maritime agency set up as proposed in Assembly Resolution 1168 and Recommendation 1387 on future challenges in European maritime science and technology (1998);
13.4. associate the Council of Europe with the elaboration by Unesco of an
international convention on the underwater cultural heritage and in the
preparation at European and international level of any other legal instruments
relating to the maritime and fluvial heritage;
13.5. encourage states to ensure that the underwater cultural heritage is
protected from commercial recovery operations from the high seas;
13.6. encourage member states to legislate to protect the underwater
cultural heritage from commercial and/or unauthorised recovery operations in
their internal waters, territorial seas, contiguous zones, continental shelves
and exclusive economic zones, and to take such measures as are in their power
to thwart such operations by their own nationals or by nationals of other
countries seeking to sail under their maritime flags or to use their territory
as bases or ports of landing;
13.7. encourage regional co-operation on the underwater cultural heritage
between countries (whether member states of the Council of Europe or not),
bordering on the same sea or part sea, by sharing information or by concluding
bilateral or multilateral agreements which may be more stringent than global
agreements;
13.8. in particular to encourage the conclusion of such agreements as will
mitigate the sovereign immunity which states retain over vessels of war and
other state-owned vessels wherever they are sunk, with particular regard to the
high proportion of such vessels which are of significant historic value and to
the high proportion which contain human remains and especially those which are
war graves;
13.9. encourage local and regional co-operation to protect the maritime and
fluvial heritage from commercial developments such as construction, cable or
pipe laying, oil and gas prospecting and recovery, mining of coal or minerals,
sand or gravel extraction and waste and spoil disposal;
13.10. encourage the protection of fixed installations of maritime and
cultural heritage from destruction by property developers who are interested
only in land values;
13.11. encourage the control and assistance of the conversion of such
installations to useful alternative purposes without undue sacrifice of their
essential character;
13.12. encourage the conservation of such installations as have heritage
value but which are not suitable or attractive for redevelopment, and, where
demolition is unavoidable, the preservation of a proper documentary
record;
13.13. encourage the restoration and preservation of historic inland
waterways and waterfront locations, as far as possible, for public access and
amenity and commercial use;
13.14. encourage support and co-operation in the capturing of the original
working character of these installations in maritime and waterways museums in
the form of displays of artefacts, pictures and photographs, video- and
audio-tapes, literary and graphic documents, electronic retrieval, interactive
displays or live (including interactive) presentations;
13.15. support and encourage public and private bodies and voluntary
associations which preserve historic vessels, or life-size or large scale
replicas, in working order;
13.16. encourage the display and use of these vessels for the education and
enjoyment of the general public,
13.17. encourage further development of a system of mutual acceptability by
the maritime authorities of nation states of standards for the safe operation
of traditional vessels in European waters.