Extending Protection Beneath the Waves: Why the UK Should Ratify the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage

​The waters surrounding the United Kingdom contain thousands of archaeological sites, including shipwrecks, aircraft, and submerged landscapes. Together they form an irreplaceable record of past human activity and are an integral part of the nation’s history and identity.

​In 2024, the UK ratified the 2003 UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, recognising the importance of living traditions, skills, and knowledge. Building on that commitment, the UK now has an opportunity to strengthen the protection of the cultural heritage that lies beneath its seas by ratifying the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH).




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​The 2001 Convention provides the only dedicated international framework for the protection and responsible management of underwater cultural heritage. It promotes collaboration, supports ethical research, and ensures that underwater heritage is preserved and studied for public benefit.

​Ratification would align the UK’s management of underwater heritage with international standards and address growing challenges such as pollution, erosion, and climate change. It would also prepare the country for new discoveries as technology continues to reveal more about what lies beneath the sea.

Through its Underwater Heritage Working Group, Blue Shield UK brings together experts from across archaeology, heritage management, and maritime policy to promote responsible protection of underwater sites. The group has published a position paper in the International Journal of Cultural Property explaining why the UK should ratify the Convention. The article is available on the journal’s website (access may require a subscription): [https://tinyurl.com/3djc9j5z].

The paper identifies ten key reasons supporting the UK’s ratification:

1. The UK is consistently experiencing the deleterious effects and impacts of human activity affecting underwater cultural heritage.
2. Although the UK has adopted “The Rules” of the Convention, the UK’s domestic laws provide insufficient protection, as they are often site-specific, selective, and fail to comprehensively address the broader spectrum of underwater cultural heritage.
3. The 2001 UNESCO Convention is an international instrument that advocates for global collaboration, which would benefit the UK’s underwater cultural heritage located in the territorial waters of other nations.
4. The controversial issues concerning state vessels and sovereign immunity can be addressed through specific bilateral agreements negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
5. Ratifying the 2001 UNESCO Convention would be a significant step forward in protecting the resting places of shipwrecks that contain human remains, including those of both civilians and military personnel.
6. Some shipwrecks, particularly those from the Second World War, pose a risk of environmental pollution. The management and ownership of these wrecks require international collaboration to address this threat effectively.
7. Amid the growing movement to repatriate cultural objects to their countries of origin, the UK must take more responsibility for the preservation and management of their underwater cultural heritage objects.
8. The 2001 UNESCO Convention has the potential to become a crucial tool for addressing underwater cultural heritage in regions affected by human conflict in the future.
9. Climate change will lead to the flooding and erosion of coastlines in the UK, resulting in the transformation of these areas into underwater cultural heritage sites in the future.
10. Ocean developments, such as wind farms and oil platforms, underwater cables and an increase in uncrewed underwater vessel activity are likely to result in the discovery of additional underwater cultural heritage sites.

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The UK’s underwater cultural heritage is extensive but unevenly protected. Ratification would establish a consistent framework for managing these sites, strengthen cooperation with other maritime nations, and reaffirm the UK’s leadership in responsible heritage management.
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With marine industries expanding and environmental pressures increasing, the need for coordinated and ethical management of underwater cultural heritage has never been greater. The 2001 Convention provides the foundation for that collaboration. By ratifying it, the UK can ensure that its submerged heritage is safeguarded and that it plays a leading role in shaping global best practice for the benefit of future generations.