The Receiver of Wreck - Introduction
The Receiver of Wreck is an official of the British government whose main task is to process incoming reports of wreck in order to:

Give the legitimate owner the opportunity to retrieve their property
Ensure that law-abiding finders of wreck receive an appropriate reward
This involves researching ownership, liaising with the finder and the owner, and other interested parties such as archaeologists and museums.

Under British law, he/she is also to be notified on the disposal of whale carcasses impeding shipping lanes in British waters.

Operating on behalf of the Department of Transport the Receiver of Wreck is located within the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Until 1993 the job was carried out by numerous coastal customs officials. Nowadays the Receiver is based in Southampton and is helped by local outposts of HM Coastguard.

The current Receiver of Wreck is Sophia Exelby (Contact her on 02380 329474 or email Sophia_Exelby@mcga.gov.uk)

What is wreck?
According to the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, wreck is:

Flotsam - Flotsam are goods lost from a ship which has sunk or otherwise perished which are recoverable because they have floated.
Jetsam - Jetsam are goods cast overboard in order to lighten a vessel which is in danger of sinking, even if they ultimately perish.
Derelict - Derelict is property which has been abandoned and deserted at sea by those who were in charge without any hope of recovering it. This includes vessels and cargo.
Lagan - Lagan (or ligan) are goods cast overboard from a ship, which afterwards perish, buoyed so that they can be recovered later.
The requirements of UK law
It is a legal requirement that all recovered wreck landed in the United Kingdom is reported to the Receiver of Wreck, whether recovered from within or outside UK waters and even if the finder is the owner. The Receiver of Wreck will investigate ownership. The owner has one year in which to come forward and prove title to the property. During this period it is common for the finder to hold the wreck on behalf of the Receiver of Wreck while investigations are carried out.

Wreck which remains unclaimed after a year becomes the property of the Crown and the Receiver of Wreck is required to dispose of it. Often the finder is allowed to keep items of unclaimed wreck in lieu of a salvage award.

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