Hundreds of treasure ships may be lurking in Portugal's seas

In the waters off the coast of Portugal may be about 250 ships with untold treasures, according to the calculations of underwater archaeologist Alexandre Monteiro from Lisbon's Nova University.

This is reported by Euronews.

The scientist says that he investigated shipwrecks relating to the period from the XVI century, when more or less systematised records became available. The result of these searches was an extensive database: it includes 8 620 wrecks, which are found along the mainland coast of Portugal, as well as in the Azores and Madeira.

According to Monteiro's statements, the total number of ships with potential treasure is about 250. Among them there are some very "high-profile" specimens. For example, off the coast of Troy rests the Spanish ship Nossa Senhora do Rosário, sunk in 1589 and, according to official data, carrying as much as 22 tonnes of gold and silver. The researcher studied the case so deeply that he even found out the surname of the captain's mother.

However, Monteiro says Portuguese authorities have generally been slow to take action to protect cultural and historical heritage sites. He says there needs to be a clear plan of action in case, for example, workers come across one of these "treasure" ships during construction or the laying of underwater utilities. So far, according to the scientist, no concrete steps have been taken.

The risk that "black archaeologists" will be the first to reach the treasure, Monteiro himself considers relatively low. Most shipwrecks, he said, are buried deep beneath a layer of sea sand, and only accidental or extensive work on the seabed can lead to the discovery of such objects. However, a lack of strategy and funding for underwater research and potential excavations, the scientist believes, could lead to important finds being lost or damaged and historical information being irretrievably lost.

According to Monteiro, it is inevitable that some of these wrecks will be found by chance in the future. He would like Portugal to have clear rules and solutions in place by then to preserve and explore world heritage sites. After all, each ship is an era frozen in time, waiting for people to realise its value.