Article 28 of the Saudi Antiquities Law

This article imposes on the Commission a duty to step in to protect submerged antiquities when they are at risk.

• The antiquities covered: submerged antiquities, and antiquities retrieved from the maritime areas.
• The area: the maritime areas under the Kingdom's sovereignty or legal jurisdiction.
• When the duty arises: if these antiquities face dangers threatening their safety or survival.
• The duty: the Commission must take the measures needed to preserve them.

The wording "the Commission must" indicates an obligation, so the Commission cannot ignore the danger once it arises. But the article does not specify the type of measures or give examples, and does not list the kinds of danger; it leaves the Commission to judge what is needed in each case.

This article is among the provisions on submerged antiquities in the Law (see Article 26), including Article 27, which requires the discoverer to leave them in place and report them, and requires someone who retrieves a piece by chance to report it and hand it over within a week. The provision also concerns retrieved antiquities, since protection does not end when the antiquity comes out of the water.

This article is addressed mainly to the Commission and does not impose direct obligations on individuals.