Legal Definitions - lagon

The term lagon is an alternative spelling for lagan. It refers to goods or cargo that have sunk to the bottom of the sea, but which have been marked with a buoy or other identifiable float so that they can be found and recovered later. The crucial element is the intention to retrieve the sunken items, which is demonstrated by the presence of a marker.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a large cargo ship encountering a severe storm, causing several containers to break free and fall into the ocean. One particular container, carrying high-value electronics, is equipped with an emergency beacon that automatically deploys and transmits its GPS coordinates upon submersion. The shipping company intends to recover this valuable cargo once the weather improves.

  This container would be considered lagon because it has sunk to the seabed, but its location is clearly marked by the beacon, indicating the shipping company's intention to retrieve the valuable goods.

• Consider an offshore construction project where a specialized piece of underwater equipment, essential for laying pipelines, accidentally detaches from its tether and sinks to the ocean floor. The crew immediately deploys a temporary tracking buoy directly above the sunken equipment, planning to use a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for its recovery in the coming days.

  The sunken drilling equipment falls under the definition of lagon because it is at the bottom of the sea, and its position is marked by the buoy, signifying the company's intent to recover it for continued use or repair.

• A marine research team is using an advanced autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to map a deep-sea trench. Due to an unforeseen system malfunction, the AUV loses power and descends to the ocean floor. However, it is designed with an emergency surface buoy that automatically releases and floats to the surface, transmitting the AUV's precise coordinates to the research vessel.

  The sunken AUV is an example of lagon because, despite being on the seabed, it is marked by the emergency buoy, enabling the research team to pinpoint its location and plan for its retrieval, thereby demonstrating the intent to recover the valuable scientific instrument.