Spanish Ministry Of Culture News

Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc.'s survey vessel, the Ocean Alert, was cleared for departure by the Spanish Guardia Civil on Saturday, July 14; however, because of a need to replace required paperwork that was removed from the ship's bridge during the inspection and a holiday that found authorities unavailable to provide documentation required for departure, the ship has not yet departed. The ship had been detained in the Spanish port of Algeciras since Thursday, July 12, 2007, undergoing a thorough inspection by the Guardia Civil. The search and detention was apparently conducted as a result of a court order to look for evidence that Odyssey's recent "Black Swan" discovery was made in Spanish waters…