The ban in a 30 square kilometre zone is to be in effect until the end of December, according to an online report by the newspaper Ålandstidningen. The paper added that the provincial government is considering if any other measures are needed.

The wreck, which is at a depth of 55 metres, is in good condition and contained a number of intact bottles.

Not only the champagne may be valuable, the well-preserved wreck itself may be protected.

Under an earlier court decision, wrecks and their contents discovered in the waters of Åland, the semi-autonomous maritime province off Finland's south-west coast, are the property of the provincial government.