A Cypriot court has fined a U.S. national and a Norwegian man 6,000 euros ($6,730) each for illegally searching for an old shipwreck off the coast of the island, the AP news agency and international and local media reported Friday.
Authorities received a tip in February that the two men were looking for the shipwreck aboard a research vessel, according to a court official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to disclose details of the case publicly.
The 36-year-old American and 44-year-old Norwegian were convicted in February on two charges of conspiracy to commit a misdemeanour and attempting to illegally search for antiquities without formal authorization.
Cyprus has a seafaring tradition going back thousands of years. Wrecks discovered off its coast are dated as far back as the 5th century B.C.