THE discovery of a wreck last month on the very site where the proposed new West End cruise ship pier is being constructed has raised concern as to the lack of importance placed on Bermuda's underwater heritage.

There are currently more than 400 documented wrecks in Bermuda's waters, documenting more than 500 years of maritime history ¿ and yet only one site has been designated a closed Marine Heritage Site under previous legislation.

That wreck lies within Dockyard in an area where marine archaeologist Chris Addams did his internationally-acclaimed work on artefacts from the 19th-century prison hulks.

Just a stone's throw away is the newly-discoverd wreck which Dr. Philippe Rouja (pictured), one of Bermuda's leading marine archaeologists and Custodian of Wrecks, found. It is believed to be one of the original tugs used to build the Dockyard. The wreck is about 65 feet in length, 19 feet wide and constructed of iron and wood and currently sits in approximately 45 feet of water.

However, unless it is moved, Phase Two of construction of the new cruise ship pier, which includes the new Ground Transportation Area something that requires the reclaiming of some 58,735 square feet of land cannot go ahead.

At the end of the cruise season Government plans to proceed with surveys of the wreck. According to Bermuda's Historic Wrecks Act 2001, the wreck cannot be removed without a permit from the Historic Wrecks Authority (HWA) and a permit will not be issued until a complete survey of the area has been conducted.

Meanwhile, construction at the site goes ahead as the latest draft of the Environmental Impact Survey (EIS), submitted to the Planning Department on September 5, states that the wreck did not affect Phase One construction.

As to what to do about the wreck, the report states that arrangements are currently being made to conduct the appropriate surveys based on requirements of the Historic Wrecks Authority (HWA), results of which, together with the appropriate permit, will be submitted as part of the Phase Two construction application.

This could take the form of either a mapping survey to determine the exact size or dimensions of the wreck, a photo survey or a survey to catalogue various artefacts a matter which is apparently still under discussion with the HWA.

In an e-mail to assistant planning director, Christine Rickards, Dr. Kent Simmons from Bermuda Water Consultants Ltd. (who together with Entech Limited conducted the Environmental Impact Study) stated: "We assume that once the HWA are provided with the appropriate survey reports, they will provide some guidance as to how they expect for the wreck to be removed in order to preserve any structure or items as per their discretion. This may, or may not involve dredging, however, the project is prepared to take guidance from the HWA on removal methodology."

Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Tourism & Transport Marc Telemaque yesterday said Bermuda Water Consultants and Entech Limited had been requested to contact the Custodian of Wrecks, Dr. Rouja, to fully assess the impact of the pier project on the wreck and to outline a programme of monitoring once work commences.

"It has been confirmed that the driving of the piles will not impact the wreck," he confirmed. "Consequently, an application to receive Planning approval for the pile driving phase only has been submitted."

Besides the wreck in question and prison hulks in Dockyard, there is also The Woodside, a 200-foot iron and wooden ship that lies just ten feet from the surface and some 15 feet from the inside eastern wall.

The Director of Conservation Services, Jack Ward, said so far the Historic Wrecks Authority had been primarily occupied with the review of known wrecks and the classification of those sites. And there are hundreds.

"I would envision that unless there are requests for archaeological studies of specific areas and the groups expressing such interest request to have the site protected during their work, any systematic consideration of areas for Marine Heritage Site designation will follow the conclusion of this current activity," he said.

To date no new applications have been sent to the HWA.

As for Bermuda's only closed Marine Heritage Site, Mr. Ward said: "This site was designated as such as it contained very significant artefacts that told an amazing story about the lives of the convicts imprisoned in Bermuda . . . It is clearly true that historic artefacts litter the sea floor adjacent to Dockyard and that this may actually warrant consideration as a Marine Heritage Site.

"However, the same can be said of many areas around Bermuda. Should all of these areas be declared Marine Heritage Sites and what would that mean from a practical perspective? For instance, establishing (such a site) may mean that diving, anchoring, building a dock or establishing moorings may not be permitted," he said.

He warned that such limitations on activities should clearly be defendable as threatening the integrity of the site from a historical study site perspective.

What defines a particular site as a Marine Heritage Site?

Mr. Ward said basically just that the site either contains or may contain historical artefacts.

However, he believed the HWA was unlikely to propose that the Minister declare such a site unless there are indications that the site contains sufficiently significant artefacts that warrants systematic archaeological research.

As for moving the wreck, Mr. Ward said he felt they would have to, adding that relocating the 65-foot wreck was not "beyond the realm of possibility".

These sentiments were echoed by avid diver and former Premier Dr. David Saul, who felt covering the wreck in concrete should be avoided at all costs and that it should instead by towed to another site to preserve its historic significance.

Meanwhile, Dr. Rouja, who is working on a remote location in the Windward Islands, could not be reached for comment this week.