International conference "Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Age of New Technologies: Solutions and Challenges" in Rabat, Morocco
ICUA Zadar senior conservator Zdenka Vrgoč participated in the international conference "Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Age of New Technologies: Solutions and Challenges" in Rabat, Morocco from May 22-23, 2023. The conference was held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communications as part of the program "Rabat African Capital of Culture".
Experts from 17 world countries presented their new achievements in
the field of underwater archaeology and conservation. Panel discussion
moderated by the main organizer of the Conference Mr. Azzeddine Karra,
Ph.D., generated interesting discussions and exchanging of experiences.
Zdenka Vrgoč participated with a lecture: "Cathodic Protection as a
Solution for in situ Protection of Underwater Metal Objects: Croatian
Examples" and presented two important underwater protection projects
implemented by ICUA Zadar in the last three years. Cathodic protection
of iron cannons on Cape Franina in Istria is a pilot project in which
the iron cannon was successfully cleaned, documented, preserved and
presented under the sea. With this project the Centre is accomplishing
one of the main goals of the 2001 UNESCO Convention which places in situ
protection as the first option for the protection of underwater
cultural heritage. The second project is monitoring, measurements and creation of the WWI wreck protection of Baron Gautsch, "Titanic of the Adriatic Sea".
Our conservator met Deputy Ambassador and Diplomatic Adviser at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia to Morocco Mr. Krešo Glavač with whom she talked about the Croatian underwater archaeology and conservation and introduced him the activities implemented by the Centre in the field of promotion and protection of Croatian underwater heritage. They also touched upon common points between Croatia and Morocco in challenges regarding the underwater archaeology and protection of rich cultural heritage of these two maritime countries.
