“Infamous Shipwrecks” project team meets in Portugal from 20 to 22 March

Project Website

The team gathered in Portugal to discuss ideas and define the action plan for the coming months of this pilot project of the WIRE mission by FilmEU Horizon, between 20th and 22nd March 2025.

The agenda for these three working days included presentations by invited guests associated with the stories in development, namely Spanish writer Francisco Benitez Aguilar (1) and French maritime archaeologist Jean-Yves Blot (2). This internal event was also attended by Augusto António Alves Salgado (3), Director of the Maritime Museum. The impact of climate change on Portugal’s coastal areas was addressed by Anabela Cruces, Professor at the Lusófona University (4).

The programme for this team meeting also included a field visit to Peniche, to the site of the Spanish shipwreck San Pedro de Alcântara, as well as to the recently inaugurated National Museum of Resistance and Freedom, located in the Peniche Fortress. The project team also had the opportunity to visit the Maritime Museum, located at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon.

The main objective of the “Infamous Shipwrecks” project is to promote Ocean literacy to target audiences, telling shipwreck stories along the European coast, through multiple mediums and points of contact – such as virtual reality, augmented reality, linear video, and an immersive installation.
This pilot project is the result of a joint effort by researchers from Lusófona University (Portugal), IADT (Ireland), NATFA (Bulgaria), and VIA University College – Aarhus (Denmark).

View Event Photos on ULusófona's Facebook

(1) Francisco Benitez Aguilar
Journalist, writer, playwright, poet, and Ibero-Americanist.
Author of “El Príncipe Inca, Naufragio de un Imperio” (2024)
(2) Jean-Yves Blot
Maritime archaeologist and author; Director of identification/excavation missions at the San Pedro de Alcântara shipwreck site
(3) Augusto António Alves Salgado
Naval Captain
Director of the Maritime Museum – Portugal
PhD in the History of the Discoveries
(4) Anabela Cruces
Professor and Director of the Bachelor's in Environmental Engineering at Lusófona University’s Faculty of Engineering; PhD in Geology