Estonia has designated 15 shipwrecks, each at least 100 years old, as protected archaeological monuments, ERR News reports. Culture Minister Heidy Purga said the move was a significant expansion of the country's 122 protected underwater sites and marked the 25th anniversary of the UNESCO convention on underwater cultural heritage, which Estonia joined in 2021.
The newly protected wrecks include 12 sailing ships, the destroyer S31, a steamship and the merchant steamer Success. Four lie in internal waters, nine in territorial waters and two in Estonia's exclusive economic zone. A 300-metre protection zone will be set around each one so that authorities can assess planned activity nearby. Maili Roio, an underwater archaeology adviser at the National Heritage Board, said the Baltic Sea's conditions had preserved an exceptional record of shipbuilding, trade and naval warfare.
Source: ERR News