LONDON (Commodity Online): Thirty years after a ship sunk off Spain, a metal coating company based in Scotland is planning to use the zinc recovered from that vessel for its galvanizing works.

According to reports, Lanarkshire-based metal coating company Highland Galvanisers has bought 75 tonnes of zinc recovered from the wreckage of the ship and has decided to use it in its future coating works.

The treasure recovered from the ship which sank off Spain more than 30 years ago is now go to Scotland.

The Francois Vieljeux vessel was carrying a cargo of precious metals from Tanzania to ports in northern Europe when it sunk in 1979.

The firm will melt down the zinc to use at its coating plant in Cumbernauld. The ship and its cargo had lain at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean until 2006 when a company called Subsea Resources started the process of recovering it using a special vessel fitted with a remotely operated grab.
   
Expert analysts estimated the lost cargo, which also included 5,500 tonnes of copper, would have a value of about £21m in today’s market - the equivalent of 800kg of gold, or almost 400,000 barrels of oil.

The zinc is in perfect condition, despite being more than 25 years under water. The company has examined and analysed the haul very carefully and are absolutely sure of its purity, and that it complies with Highland’s strict specifications for quality.

Highland has most notably galvanized the Famous Grouse gates of Murrayfield Stadium and has worked with sculptor Andy Scott on projects including ‘Hamish the Stag’ which featured alongside the M8.

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