Miami, Florida (US)  —   There’s been an interesting series of twists and turns in the struggle between Odyssey Marine Exploration, a Florida based company that specializes in deep ocean shipwreck exploration, and the Spanish government.

Earlier this year Odyssey discovered and recovered a huge haul - apparently 17 tons - of silver and gold coins from an undisclosed location in the Atlantic Ocean. Although impossible to know the exact value of the find, some initial news reports had the possible catch valued in the hundreds of millions.

Any number in the millions is likely to draw attention. And, for sure, Spain became interested.

While Odyssey has always contented their discovery was found within international waters and they have complied with all necessary laws, Spain has challenged that, indicating the discovered treasure could be theirs if it was within their waters or within one of their ships.

The struggle became so heated that at one point Spain seized an Odyssey’s vessel for a time.

For now, the battle is back in court. Here is the latest news from the judge and some more background information: