Moroccan Researchers Uncover Rif War Shipwrecks off Al Hoceima Coast

The study, published on August 1, 2022 in the journal "Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology" (EEET), allowed the researchers to discover five potential locations of military wrecks, three of which are in the bay of Al Hoceima. Unlike the other two locations identified by the Spanish Hydrographic Institute on the Bokoya coast, the latter remain unidentified.

The detection and mapping of these locations were carried out using a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image provided by the European Space Agency (ESA). "The use of the Sentinel-1 image and the SNAP software can provide good quality detection of wrecks, especially at shallow depths. A technique that, moreover, costs nothing," explain the Moroccan researchers.

"The result obtained shows that the coast of Al Hoceima has an immense archaeological site, composed of ancient wrecks, with a large potential for the development of the tourism sector," the researchers also point out, recommending to "verify the results by other means, before diving to search for the wrecks".