However, all assurances aside, the retrieval operation raises numerous questions about the ongoing disputes over ownership of the San Jose and its contents.

Sea Search Armada, the salvage firm that first claimed to have found the wreckage all those years ago, has taken its case against Colombia to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague and is seeking $10 billion.

Spain, meanwhile, has signalled it may be open to a bilateral agreement with the Colombian government when it comes to protecting the San Jose. The Bolivian Indigenous groups have also said they're willing to work with the government, asking for only a few pieces from the ship to be returned for spiritual purposes. So watch this space...

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