Viorel CHIRICIOIU*

Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest

Abstract: The present article seeks to briefly present the existing applicable regulations concerning the protection of underwater cultural heritage, a still-developing and somewhat controversial field of the law of the sea. The article analyses the applicable relevant International Law provisions, mainly the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2001 Underwater Heritage Convention, by discussing the practical aspects of their provisions, as well as their validity and issues presented. This research is also valuable for a maritime country such as Romania, particularly since over three dozen shipwrecks reportedly lie in the Black Sea alone.

Keywords: underwater cultural heritage; law of the sea; UNCLOS; Underwater Heritage Convention.

*PhD Candidate in International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest, Romania (LLB University of Bucharest 2014, LLM University College London 2015). Seminar Convener (University of Bucharest) and Trainee Notary (Bucharest). The opinions expressed in this paper are solely the author’s and do not engage the institutions he belongs to.