Indonesia Issues Permits to Hunt Sunken Treasure

JAKARTA, Indonesia —  The government has for the first time issued licenses to companies allowing them to search Indonesia’s vast tropical waters for sunken treasure.

Sudomo, coordinating minister of general policy and security, said Thursday the government has awarded two-year contracts to three Indonesian firms to look for shipwrecks.

The government estimates that about 40 ships lie at the bottom of the sea in Indonesia’s archipelago of 13,000 islands. Most famous is the Flor de la Mar, a Portuguese ship said to have sunk in the Malacca Strait near Singapore in 1511. It was the flagship of Portuguese Commander Afonso de Albuquerque and was believed to have been carrying tons of solid gold figurines and a chest of precious jewels.