2 Shipwrecks Found Near Treasure-Laden San José Galleon Off Colombian Coast

Colombian naval officials have found two shipwrecks, while monitoring a sunken Spanish ship laden with treasure, President Iván Duque has announced.

According to preliminary analysis, the two shipwrecks found, while monitoring the San José galleon, correspond to the colonial and republican periods.

"Although this heritage is submerged ... it has all the guarantees of protection based on thousands of photos that were taken at depths of more than 950 meters," Duque said, 9News reported, citing the Associated Press. "Thanks to that, a reconstruction was made of the entire morphological map of the area where this shipwreck is located."

The San José galleon sank in June 1708 near the Islas del Rosario, off Colombia's Caribbean coast, during combat with British ships. The ship is believed to be carrying treasures worth billions of dollars.

After the San José galleon was found in 2015, Colombia intensified its underwater exploration capabilities. The shipwreck has also been the subject of a legal battle with other countries such as Spain over extraction rights.

Spain said the vessel and treasures were the "ship of state" as it belonged to the Spanish navy when it was sunk. The country added it was protected by the United Nations' regulations.

"We now have two other discoveries in the same area, that show other options for archaeological exploration," navy commander Admiral Gabriel Pérez said about the other shipwrecks. "So the work is just beginning."

After being located, the Colombian Navy approached the San José galleon with a remote exploration vehicle and verified "it has not been intervened" by humans.

"All the treasures and elements found there are protected and will continue to be so," Pérez said, according to BBC.

The Colombian government photographed swords, Chinese crockery and cannons from the galleon. They also found some gold objects, such as an ingot and macuquinas (coins) of eight reales.

"We will continue working in the future to be able to explore more than 13 sites that could have more information and be the site of a particular shipwreck," the general maritime director, José Amézquita García, said.