Professional diploma800 h · Online · 8 modules

Professional Diploma in Shipwrecks and Sunken Cargo Recovery

This professional diploma prepares you to work on shipwrecks and sunken cargoes with technical and legal rigour. You will distinguish between salvage and wreck removal for recent casualties, governed by IMO conventions, and underwater cultural heritage, protected by the 2001 UNESCO Convention, which favours in situ preservation and prohibits commercial exploitation. You will study location, assessment, pollutant removal, recovery techniques, insurance and liability, with a clear focus on protecting heritage and combating looting.

Duration800 h
ModeOnline
Start1 December
Modules8
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About the programme

What is the Professional Diploma in Shipwrecks and Sunken Cargo Recovery?

This professional diploma prepares you to work on shipwrecks and sunken cargoes with technical and legal rigour. You will distinguish salvage and wreck removal, governed by IMO conventions, from underwater cultural heritage, protected by the 2001 UNESCO Convention, which prioritises in situ preservation and prohibits commercial exploitation. You will locate and assess wrecks with side-scan sonar, magnetometry and underwater vehicles, plan safe and lawful recovery operations, manage potentially polluting wrecks and deal with insurance, liability and the illicit trade in cultural property.

What sets this diploma apart: legal rigour, with salvage, wreck removal and underwater heritage each under its own regime; professional ethics, with an explicit stance against looting and illicit trade; a technical view of location, assessment and recovery operations; environmental risk, with potentially polluting wrecks and how to manage them; and a practical case in which you draw up an action plan for a wreck within its legal framework.

Programme typeProfessional diploma
ModeOnline
Duration800 hours
Modules8
Start1 December

Programme highlights

  • Legal rigour: salvage, wreck removal and underwater heritage, each with its own regime.
  • Professional ethics: an explicit stance against looting and illicit trade.
  • Technical view: location, assessment and recovery operations.
  • Environmental risk: potentially polluting wrecks and how to manage them.
  • Insurance and liability: abandonment, general average and environmental liability.
  • Practical case: an action plan for a wreck within its legal framework.
Syllabus

Syllabus of the Professional Diploma in Shipwrecks and Sunken Cargo Recovery

8 modules. Select a module to see its content.

Module 1

Shipwrecks: types, value and risks

  • 1.1. What a shipwreck is
  • 1.2. Historic and modern wrecks
  • 1.3. Historical, environmental and economic value
  • 1.4. War graves and State vessels
  • 1.5. Wrecks as artificial ecosystems
  • 1.6. Potentially polluting wrecks
  • 1.7. Hazardous cargoes
  • 1.8. Conflicts of interest
At this stage
100 hestimated workload
8 wkweeks at your pace
Module 2

Law of maritime salvage

  • 2.1. Origins and principles of salvage
  • 2.2. International Convention on Salvage
  • 2.3. Conditions for a salvage reward
  • 2.4. Special compensation and the environment
  • 2.5. Standard salvage contracts
  • 2.6. Law of finds versus salvage
  • 2.7. Exclusion of cultural property
  • 2.8. Relevant case law
At this stage
100 hestimated workload
8 wkweeks at your pace
Module 3

Wreck removal

  • 3.1. The Nairobi Convention on the Removal of Wrecks
  • 3.2. Determining the hazard
  • 3.3. Obligations of the registered owner
  • 3.4. Compulsory insurance
  • 3.5. Intervention by the coastal State
  • 3.6. Removal of fuel and pollutants
  • 3.7. Dismantling and waste management
  • 3.8. Coordination with the authorities
At this stage
100 hestimated workload
8 wkweeks at your pace
Module 4

Underwater cultural heritage and the 2001 UNESCO Convention

  • 4.1. Definition of underwater cultural heritage
  • 4.2. Principles of the Convention
  • 4.3. In situ preservation as the first option
  • 4.4. Prohibition of commercial exploitation
  • 4.5. Relationship with salvage law
  • 4.6. Cooperation between States
  • 4.7. State vessels and human remains
  • 4.8. Rules of the Annex for interventions
At this stage
100 hestimated workload
8 wkweeks at your pace
Module 5

Locating and assessing wrecks

  • 5.1. Documentary and archival research
  • 5.2. Side-scan sonar
  • 5.3. Magnetometry
  • 5.4. Multibeam bathymetry
  • 5.5. Remotely operated and autonomous vehicles
  • 5.6. Photogrammetry and 3D models
  • 5.7. Assessment of structural condition
  • 5.8. Environmental risk assessment
At this stage
100 hestimated workload
8 wkweeks at your pace
Module 6

Cargo recovery techniques

  • 6.1. Operations planning
  • 6.2. Commercial and saturation diving
  • 6.3. Cranes, lift bags and lifting gear
  • 6.4. Container recovery
  • 6.5. Controlled cutting and dismantling
  • 6.6. Fuel recovery
  • 6.7. Safety and risk management
  • 6.8. Documenting the operation
At this stage
100 hestimated workload
8 wkweeks at your pace
Module 7

Insurance, liability and the fight against looting

  • 7.1. Marine insurance and abandonment
  • 7.2. General average
  • 7.3. Civil and environmental liability
  • 7.4. Looting and illicit trade
  • 7.5. Police and customs cooperation
  • 7.6. Conventions against trafficking in cultural property
  • 7.7. Communication with the public
  • 7.8. Professional ethics
At this stage
100 hestimated workload
8 wkweeks at your pace
Module 8

Practical case: action plan for a shipwreck

  • 8.1. Identification and characterisation of the wreck
  • 8.2. Determining the legal regime
  • 8.3. Stakeholders and authorities
  • 8.4. Technical and environmental assessment
  • 8.5. Options for action
  • 8.6. Operations or protection plan
  • 8.7. Risk and insurance management
  • 8.8. Presentation of the plan
At this stage
100 hestimated workload
8 wkweeks at your pace
Plan your pace

Duration and format of the Professional Diploma in Shipwrecks and Sunken Cargo Recovery

It is 800 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.

4 h30 h
With 12 h per week
15
months to finish
67 weeks
weeks in total

This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the instalment plan.

Faculty

Academic leadership and faculty

The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programmes.

Dra. Marina AlcoverDr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Ing. Diego CifuentesEng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Cap. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerDr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dra. Nuria LlobregatDr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Ing. Javier BañulsEng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Ing. Sofía MarquinaEng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Ing. Tomás RieraEng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration Coordinator
Objectives

Objectives of the Professional Diploma in Shipwrecks and Sunken Cargo Recovery

01Differentiate the legal regimes.
02Apply the law of salvage.
03Manage wreck removal.
04Protect underwater heritage.
05Plan technical operations.
06Prevent looting.
Careers

Career opportunities after the Professional Diploma in Shipwrecks and Sunken Cargo Recovery

01Maritime salvage technicianplanning recovery operations.
02Wreck removal managercoordination with shipowners, insurers and authorities.
03Marine casualty analystinsurance, average and liability.
04Underwater heritage techniciansupporting the protection and management of wrecks.
05Environmental risk adviserpotentially polluting wrecks.
06Legal and technical consultantthe legal framework for work on wrecks.
Frequently asked questions

Questions about the Professional Diploma in Shipwrecks and Sunken Cargo Recovery

No. The programme rejects looting. Underwater cultural heritage cannot be commercially exploited, and any intervention must be authorised by the competent authorities.

Salvage applies to ships and property in danger, usually recent casualties; underwater cultural heritage has its own protection regime, centred on in situ preservation.

No. Navalis Institute teaches the subject, but the diploma does not replace the official commercial diving qualification issued by the competent authority, nor the archaeological training required to intervene on heritage sites.

Yes. The programme analyses documented cases of salvage, wreck removal and wreck protection.

You draw up an action plan for a wreck, starting by determining which legal regime applies and ending with an operations or protection plan.

The professional diploma is taught online and comprises 800 hours of study across 8 modules of about 100 hours each, ending with a practical case in which you apply what you have learned to a complete technical brief.

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Online admission

Admission process

No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enrol in the same session.

Entry requirements
  • Profile: aimed at salvage and marine engineering professionals, maritime lawyers and insurance staff, officials of maritime and heritage administrations, archaeologists and cultural managers, and diving and underwater vehicle operators who work on wrecks. A degree in nautical studies, naval or marine engineering, law, archaeology, history, marine sciences or a related field, or professional experience in salvage, marine insurance, commercial diving or maritime administration, is recommended.
  • Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
  • Technical resources: a computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a camera for live sessions and project presentations.
  • Admission: enrolment is open all year round; online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
  1. 01
    Application
    Your details, background and documents.
  2. 02
    Instant review
    We check that everything is complete and in order.
  3. 03
    Enrolment
    Choose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Start my applicationFrom $420 deposit

Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.

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