What is the legal position?...

It is a wreck, flotsam or whatever AND the person salving it has salvage rights over it. The one concept doesn't exclude the other.

That's why on the MCA website they say "Finders who report their finds to the Receiver of Wreck have salvage rights. The Receiver of Wreck acts to settle questions of ownership and salvage."
 
Of course the police are entitled to use a whole range of statutes to prevent you accessing any particular area.
If the police don't want you going somewhere they can use any of many powers they have.
 
These replies remind me of another wreck on Scilly/St Mary's a few years ago. Among the lost cargo were containers of carved wooden houe doors, M&S bed sheets and lots of trainers.

Local and Newlyn fishermen were passing around the GPS co-ordinates of the floating containers, many of which turned up on the old quay at Newlyn late at night - and were reported to the Receiver some time the following morning....

To this day, many of the outhouses around the islands - even the chicken huts - have beautiful and expensive carved mahogany doors, many of the boarding houses in Newlyn have identical M&S fitted sheets and - although they are well-worn now - it's remarkable how many of the young men around West Penwith have exactly the same taste in trainers.....

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
A number of years ago a deck cargo of Keruin and Iroko was lost in the channel and washed up along the south coast, Climping Beach was busier than a bank holiday the next morning with people scavenging for timber.

MCA and HMCG were busy running up and down telling us to leave it all alone as it belonged to the receiver of Wreck, and must be handed over. I beleive they even got the Police to send a Helicopter to look for it stashed away in peoples back gardens. However as the MCA effort involved three blokes over 75 miles of coast, I dont think the RoW got much joy. The local papers carried dire warnings of prosecutions for anyone who failed to turn in their ill gotten gains, but AFAIK nothing actually happened.
 
I can't help imagining the scenario of a large lorry, blown off a motorway in last weeks high winds, spilling his 'cargo' of whatever over fields. Is it likely that passers-by who began to load their vehicles with the spilled 'cargo' would have got far before handcuffs were applied!. Watching an idiot on the news this morning with armfuls of car steering wheels was frankly, sickening. This so-called 'salvaging' from containers is no more than theft. Or perhaps looting would be a better word!.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Re "You can't, legally, go and grab stuff of a shipwreck and keep it (remember Whiskey Galore?!!?)"

That rule does not seem to apply out here in the Windies -
.....
It will be interesting to see what eventually happens to the Napoli and her cargo.

[/ QUOTE ]

The law may be different in the Windies and even if it's the same probably not as rigourously applied!

As far as the Napoli is concerned, the cargo will be retrieved, so far as is possible, by the salvors and will either be the property of the owners or the insurers (quite probably the latter) depending on the terms of the vessel and/or cargo insurance.
 
This from the Telegraph which includes the statement "Other containers spilled out a huge consignment of shoes and people ran round the beach trying to match up pairs." Sad.
 
What great fun though! Loved the trainers on the left and videos on the right. Also love the way people are so enterprising when it comes to moving heavy items, motor-bikes, when presented with such a problem.

Many years.. The Cornish would follow a stricken ship's progress along the cliffs. Some times there would be 2000 people armed with axes and saws etc, descending on a wreck, which could be cleared COMPLETELY, in two days.

People at their best and worste.
 
not forgetting the wreckers who lured ships to their doom, killed the surviving crew and plundered the booty - not quite so romantic really was it /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
well it wasnt said so it was explained to dispel the romantic view of those wicked cornish killers /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Seems I'm in a minority in finding this 'looting' of containers unsavoury......

Fair enough, if a few bits wash up on a beach, but to be down there opening previously still sealed containers, forming orderly queues, and then carting the stuff off with the aid of forklifts and tractors to me seems like out and out theft.......

Hope no one has any special orders in hand, you might be waiting a bit longer, while eBay capitalises upon your misfortune..... and sorry for any shipping companies who will now face higher insurance premiums as the cargo is further stolen away, while the police stand by and watch....
 
I agree with you. There is nothing romantic about it. Those people are not poor in any sense of the word. It's a sorry sight.
 
Yes,

What it is easy to forget is that this stock is in some cases likely to be headed towards small businesses who can ill afford the loss of custom, and delays in cash inbound..... or to people who have been saving for a long time to buy something like a new motorbike.... OK its still at the shippers/importers risk, but they'll still be the poor sods that have now got to wait a further 3 months for their bike.....

I hope that there is further action taken.... especially to numpties like the guy proudly displaying his 'new' BMW motorbike on the 6 O'clock news..... its not your mate... it belongs to someone who has possibly been saving for 2 years to buy it....
 
Well actually for the moment it is his, what the news failed to show but was shown locally is that he had filled in the official receiver of wrecks form. Will be interesting to see what happens next, I'd put money on him hearing absolutely nothing back from them, expect they'll be rather more interested in the 2000 odd containers still left on board.
 
Did your wife take pity on you and take you in? A 2,000 strong band of wild looters intent on rape, murder and theft does not qualify as 'romantic'. Ask her ... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
You wait until he goes to register it - instant visit from plod and HMC&E.

No doubt BMW will have a full list of the engine numbers etc, just a quick X check with the Reciever of Wreck and if he's not done his paperwork or declared the unearned income with the revenue - he'll get "life" /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Peter.
 
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