Dung Quat shipwreck excavation permit approved

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have given permission to the Vietnam National Museum of History to excavate an old shipwreck recently discovered in Dung Quat Economic Zone in the central province of Quang Ngai.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have given permission to the Vietnam National Museum of History to excavate an old shipwreck recently discovered in Dung Quat Economic Zone in the central province of Quang Ngai.

  

An old shipwreck discovered in Dung Quat Economic Zone

The excavation will be carried out from September 15. The Vietnam National Museum of History and Quang Ngai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism have 15 days to clean up the 800-square-metre site after the excavation. It is estimated to take 150 days to inspect and classify the items.

Nguyen Van Doan, deputy head of Vietnam National Museum of History will lead the excavation. All items will be temporarily stored at Quang Ngai Museum as the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Vietnam National Museum of History report plan to preserve and exploit the items to the ministry within three months after the excavation ends.

They must also raise public awareness about heritage preservation during the process.

In July, workers of Hao Hung Limited Company discovered ceramic, terracotta and wooden fragments flowing in pipes while they were dredging water passages to construct the harbour in Dung Quat Sea Area.

A 20-30-metre-long sunk ship was found. It was six to seven metres from the shore and nine metres deep. The ceramics are assumed to date back to China's Ming Dynasty in the 16th Century. The ship might have been transporting ceramic and terracotta items before sinking.