Queen of Sweden Proposed Historic Marine Protected Area (MPA) Partial Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA)

1. Step One - Develop a clear understanding of your objectives:

1.1 What are the objectives of the policy, strategy or service?

The Scottish Government is committed to clean, healthy, safe, productive, biologically diverse marine and coastal environments, managed to meet the long-term needs of people and nature. This includes protecting and, where appropriate, enhancing our most important historic wrecks and other marine heritage sites in such a way that they can be valued and understood. Under Section 67 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 Scottish Ministers have powers to designate sites as Historic Marine Protected Areas (‘MPAs’) in order to protect marine assets (for example, historic shipwrecks) of national importance within Scottish territorial waters.

The proposal is to designate the remains of a wrecked vessel, believed to be the Drottningen af Swerige, or ‘Queen of Sweden’, as an Historic MPA. The Queen of Sweden was a Swedish East Indiaman (an armed merchant sailing vessel of the Swedish East India Company) which hit a rock off the rocky headland of the Knab, while seeking shelter in Bressay Sound, Shetland on 12 January 1745. The remains lie at a depth of approximately 14 to 25m, close to Twageos Point at the southern entrance to Lerwick Harbour.

1.2 Do you need to consult?

The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 requires Scottish Ministers to consult anyone who is likely to be interested in or affected by the proposed designation of an Historic MPA. A formal consultation was held on the proposal in 2019 and significant stakeholder engagement has taken place both before and after this.

See section 3 for more information on consultation and engagement.

1.3 How are islands identified for the purpose of the policy, strategy or service?

Islands have been identified according to the definition set out in the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018. That Act defines an island community as a community which consists of two or more individuals, all of whom permanently inhabit an island (whether or not the same island), and is based on common interest, identity or geography (including in relation to any uninhabited islands whose natural environment and terrestrial, marine and associated ecosystems contribute to the natural or cultural heritage of an inhabited island).

1.4 What are the intended impacts/outcomes and how do these potentially differ in the islands?

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) advise that the wreck of Queen of Sweden meets the criterion of national importance for designation as a Historic MPA. The wreck is arguably the best-preserved remains of a Swedish East Indiaman located in waters around Scotland. Although the wreck has been subject to historic salvage activity, key features are visible on the seabed and there is significant potential for further remains to be buried within the seabed sediments.

Combined with study of documentation in company archives, records of the ship’s loss and salvage, and an extensive collection of artefacts held by Shetland Museums, the remains of the wreck can significantly enhance our knowledge and understanding of vessels of the Swedish East India Company and its trading activity around Scotland’s coasts during the 18th century. Around this time, the Swedish East India Company played an important role in growing northern European trade with China in tea and silk.

The vessel’s loss in Bressay Sound bears testament to Shetland's strategically significant location on sea-routes linking northern Europe with the rest of the world. The loss of the Drottningen af Swerige was a significant event to local communities on Shetland at the time.

Designation as a Historic MPA would recognise the wreck’s national importance and promote responsible actions by sea-users. In particular, the site has been targeted recently by divers to recover lead ingots (carried as cargo), and it may continue to be vulnerable to unrecorded recovery of artefacts, without statutory protection. Designation will ensure that divers can continue to visit the site but on a look but don’t touch basis.

Given the location of the proposed Historic MPA any potential impacts would be most likely to be felt in the Shetland Islands.

1.5 Is the policy, strategy or service new?

The overall policy of Historic MPAs is not new. Scottish Ministers were granted powers through the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 to designate sites as Historic MPAs and the first such sites were designated in 2013. There are currently 8 sites across Scottish waters which have been designated as Historic MPAs. These are:

• Campania (Firth of Forth)
• Dartmouth (Sound of Mull)
• Drumbeg (Sutherland)
• Duart Point (Sound of Mull)
• Iona I (Firth of Clyde)
• Kinlochbervie (Sutherland)
• Mingary (Sound of Mull)
• Out Skerries (Shetland)