Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2015 to Question 226362, whether the preparation of cannon for lifting and the dusting of mobile sediments on the wreck site of HMS Victory 1744 by Odyssey Marine Exploration in the summer of 2012 was included in the Marine Management Organisation investigation into unauthorised work on the HMS Victory 1744 wreck site.

Based on the evidence available, it is understood that a cannon was lifted prior to the introduction of the marine licensing system in April 2011. However, the investigation carried out by the MMO into the carrying out of licensed marine activities also obtained evidence of dusting of mobile sediments and other preparatory activities which would have required a marine licence, when there was in fact no such licence in place. As a result of this evidence, the MMO issued Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. with an official written warning for these activities on 7 November 2014, in accordance with its published compliance and enforcement strategy.