What Anno 1667 does

Anno 1667 (legal entity 1667 Ltd.) is a privately held Icelandic company founded in 2013 by Icelandic entrepreneur Gisli Gislason to locate and recover Het Wapen van Amsterdam, a 1667 Dutch merchant vessel shipwrecked off Iceland's south coast believed to carry gold, silver, pearls, diamonds, copper, silk and other cargo. The company holds government-authorised search and exploitation rights granted by the Icelandic Prime Minister via Letter of Intent on January 5, 2017. The operation runs on UAV-mounted Ground Penetrating Radar scanning of sandy coastal terrain, deployed by core technology partner SPH Engineering (Latvia); the system was validated in a July 2019 expedition that located 'The Anomaly' on Icelandic sands within hours, a significant improvement over the multi-year efforts of the predecessor 1960-1983 search.

The company sells no product or service in a conventional sense. Its monetisation model rests on three largely unrealised revenue streams: (i) investor capital contributed against a future share of recovered treasure value, with the 1982/1983 business plan estimating recovery cost at ISK 50 million (approximately USD 1.8 million in today's value); (ii) media and documentary rights, anchored by the May 2022 Icelandic TV airing of 'The Goldship' documentary and ongoing talks with multiple prestige TV channels about a docuseries; and (iii) brand sponsorship across expedition-related media streams, supported by an Icelandic supporter base including Atlantsolia, 2Hofnin Restaurant and Amazing Tours. GTM is event-driven and community-led, targeting investors, TV/film producers, search-and-recovery technologists, journalists and brand sponsors via a structured website enquiry form and direct outreach (Allan Gray in Manchester, Gisli Gislason in Reykjavik). No public pricing, no disclosed funding rounds, and no recurring customer revenue are in evidence; the company is functionally pre-revenue and depends on closing investor and media deals to fund the recovery operation.

Name

Anno 1667

Legal name

1667 Ltd.

Website

https://anno1667.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Anno 1667 (1667 Ltd.) is a privately held Icelandic treasure recovery expedition founded in 2013 that holds government-authorised rights to locate Het Wapen van Amsterdam, a Dutch merchant vessel wrecked off Iceland in 1667, using UAV-mounted Ground Penetrating Radar technology supplied by partner SPH Engineering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Shipwreck Recovery Services

akta.pro primary industry

Shipwreck & Wreck Removal (IMAJANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wreck Removal & Site Clearance (TLAHAIAB), Salvage Engineering, Surveying & Claims Support (Naval Architecture, Tow Plans) (TLAHAIAJ), Underwater Salvage & Diving Operations (UWILD, Cutting, Welding) (IMAJANAD)

Keywords

• Shipwreck recovery
• Maritime archaeology
• Treasure hunting
• Underwater exploration
• Subsea exploration

Headquarters

HQ city

Reykjavík

HQ country

Iceland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Investment Capital: The company seeks investors who contribute capital in exchange for a share of future treasure recovery proceeds. The 1982-1983 business plan estimated recovery costs at ISK 50 million (approximately $1.8 million USD in today's value).
2. Media and Documentary Rights: Revenue generation through documentary production, TV docuseries rights, and branded content sponsorship opportunities across online and TV/Film media streams.
3. Brand Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors can showcase their brand across multiple media streams in exchange for sponsorship contributions, including equipment donations, expertise, or funds.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Anno 1667 conducts maritime treasure recovery expeditions focused on locating and salvaging the cargo of Het Wapen van Amsterdam (The Goldship), a Dutch vessel lost off Heimaey, Iceland in 1667. Using a UAV-mounted Ground Penetrating Radar (UAV-GPR) and underwater imaging systems, the company surveys, images, and prepares the wreck site for recovery, while also producing documentary media about the discoveries.

Product overview

Anno 1667 operates as a treasure hunting expedition company running a single primary mission: the search and recovery of the legendary Dutch ship Het Wapen van Amsterdam (known as 'The Goldship'), which sank off Iceland in 1667 with valuable cargo. The company offers a documentary about the mission and is developing a TV docuseries. The operation uses state-of-the-art UAV and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology provided by technology partner SPH Engineering for subsurface scanning of search areas. The portfolio consists of the core search mission, a documentary product, and a planned docuseries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Goldship Search and Recovery Expedition End-to-end maritime search and recovery expedition targeting the cargo (up to 50 tonnes of gold, silver, copper, and tin) of Het Wapen van Amsterdam, a Dutch East India Company vessel that sank off Heimaey, Iceland in 1667. Uses UAV-mounted Ground Penetrating Radar (UAV-GPR), Hilton Navy Sub Sea cameras, and Inuktun ROVs to locate, image, and prepare the wreck site for salvage.
• The Goldship Documentary Feature documentary about Anno 1667's expedition to locate Het Wapen van Amsterdam, broadcast on BBC Earth and Icelandic television in 2022. Aimed at global broadcast audiences and intended to showcase the project and build wider investor and sponsor awareness.

Quantifiable outcome

• UAV-GPR technology located 'The Anomaly' within a few hours compared to years taken by previous search teams (1970-1983)

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SPH Engineering (UGCS)coreTechnology or Integration · 4 July 2018SPH Engineering, a Latvian company operating as UGCS, provides UAV and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) integrated technology for subsurface scanning. On July 4, 2018, their research team used this same technology to locate a lost U.S. aircraft from WW2 buried 300 feet below Greenland ice. They joined the July 2019 expedition and successfully verified the technology works on Icelandic sands, locating 'The Anomaly' within hours. Key team members Alexey Dobrovolskiy, Ilya Omekhin, Kristaps Brass, and Alexandr Luchnikov participated in the expedition.
• AtlantsoliaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIcelandic company listed as a supporter on the Our Supporters page, offering sponsorship opportunities and brand showcase across the mission's media streams.
• 2Hofnin RestaurantminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIcelandic restaurant listed as a supporter on the Our Supporters page, providing sponsorship and brand exposure opportunities.
• Amazing ToursminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIcelandic tour company listed as a supporter on the Our Supporters page. The company provided vehicles for the July 2019 expedition, covering 27-hour tours.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Odyssey Marine Exploration: US-listed shipwreck exploration and recovery company that has conducted multiple deep-ocean treasure recovery expeditions (e.g., SS Gairsoppa, Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes). Directly comparable in business model — using advanced technology to locate and monetize historic shipwrecks, combining salvage economics with media and content rights.
• Mel Fisher's Treasures: Iconic shipwreck treasure recovery operation famous for finding the Atocha. Operates a similar blend of investor-funded expeditions, retail sales of recovered artifacts, and museum/educational content — a direct analogue to Anno 1667's investor-and-media-driven approach to a single high-profile wreck.
• Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust (Endurance22): Trust that organized the Endurance22 expedition to locate and document Shackleton's Endurance wreck in Antarctic waters. Closely comparable model combining high-profile expedition, deep-sea technology partnership (Saab), and major broadcast/streaming content distribution.
• Deep Ocean Search: Deep-sea search and recovery company that locates and recovers cargo from historic wrecks using advanced subsea technology. Comparable to Anno 1667 in using specialist technology partners to investigate historically valuable shipwrecks and monetize recoveries through cargo sales.
• Blue Water Recoveries: UK-based deep-water search and recovery firm specializing in historic wreck location, often partnering with governments and broadcasters. Operates a comparable expedition-plus-media model on historically significant shipwrecks, making it a strong peer for Anno 1667's geographic and operational profile.
• RPM Nautical: Netherlands-based marine salvage, wreck investigation and recovery firm with experience on historically significant Dutch wrecks. Particularly comparable given the Dutch heritage of the Het Wapen van Amsterdam and Anno 1667's location relative to historic Dutch shipping routes.

Broad incumbents

• SMIT Salvage (Boskalis): Global large-scale marine salvage operator owned by Royal Boskalis Westminster. While focused on commercial casualty response (tanker groundings, port obstructions) rather than treasure recovery, the company operates in the same marine salvage category and represents the scale end of the spectrum Anno 1667 aspires to.
• Titan Maritime: Established marine salvage and emergency response company handling major casualty response, wreck removal, and marine firefighting. Comparable as a broader marine salvage services incumbent, though operating at greater scale and with different customer profiles than Anno 1667.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1667ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Anno 1667