CARTAGENA, Colombia, Feb 23, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Colombia's government on

Friday announced an expedition to remove items of "incalculable value" from
the wreck of the legendary San Jose Galleon, which sank in 1708 while laden
with gold, silver and emeralds estimated to be worth billions of dollars.

Culture Minister Juan David Correa told AFP that seven years after the
discovery of the wreck off Colombia's coast, an underwater robot would be
sent to recover some of its bounty.

Between April and May, the robot would extract some items from "the surface
of the galleon" to see "how they materialize when they come out (of the
water) and to understand what we can do" to recover the rest of the
treasures, said Correa.

The operation will cost more than $4.5 million and the robot will work at a
depth of 600 meters to remove items such as ceramics, pieces of wood and
shells "without modifying or damaging the wreck," Correa told AFP aboard a
large naval ship.

The location of the expedition is being kept secret to protect what is
considered one of the greatest archaeological finds in history from malicious
treasure hunters.

The San Jose galleon was owned by the Spanish crown when it was sunk by the
British navy near Cartagena in 1708. Only a handful of its 600-strong crew
survived.

The ship had been heading back from the New World to the court of King Philip
V of Spain, laden with treasures such as chests of emeralds and some 200 tons
of gold coins.

Before Colombia announced the discovery in 2015, it was long sought after by
treasure hunters.

- Who gets the loot? -

The discovery of the galleon sparked a tug-of-war over who gets custody of
its bounty.

Spain insists that the bounty is theirs since it was aboard a Spanish ship,
while Bolivia's Qhara Qhara nation says it should get the treasures as the
Spanish forced the community's people to mine the precious metals.

Since Thursday, Spain's ambassador to Colombia Joaquin de Aristegui, and
representatives of Bolivia's Indigenous people have been taking part in a
symposium with experts to discuss the best way to access the treasure.

The government of leftist president Gustavo Petro, in power since 2022, wants
to use the country's own resources to recover the wreck and ensure it remains
in Colombia.

De Aristegui said he has instructions to offer Colombia a "bilateral
agreement" on the protection of the wreck.

Correa said Bolivia's Indigenous people have expressed their willingness to
work with Petro's government.

The idea is "to stop considering that we are dealing with a treasure that we
have to fight for as if we were in colonial times, with the pirates who
disputed these territories," he added.

The expedition to start recovering the shipwreck's trove comes as a case is
underway at the UN's Permanent Court of Arbitration between Colombia and the
US-based salvage company Sea Search Armada -- which claims it found the wreck
first over 40 years ago.

The company is demanding $10 billion dollars, half the wreck's estimated
value today.