Underwater archaeological heritage is exposed not only to natural environmental stresses, but is also threatened by human activity. As a matter of fact, both commercial fishing and recreational diving have caused considerable damage to several major wrecks in the northern Adriatic Sea. So a new project was started in order to develop a project that has as its primary objective the protection of underwater sites by both surface and underwater video surveillance. It was also decided to start an experimental trial on the shipwreck of Grado 2 (3rd century B.C.), where a metal structure designed ad hoc for the protection of the wreck and enhancement of in situ preservation has been assembled. The construction is in fact composed of a system of load-bearing squares with attached protection grids, which, through a system of “keys”, can be opened and removed selectively as necessary to allow maintenance and future excavations.
