Porcelain worth $43million will be excavated

Worth the cosmic sum of $43million, Chinese porcelain from the 16th century rests at the bottom, waiting for daredevils who will decide to dig it out. The cargo of precious products is located off the coast of Indonesia at a depth of 60m.

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The wooden wreck, which was carrying porcelain, sank most probably during a voyage to Jakarta, or rather a city that once existed in this place under the name of Batavia. The huge wreck (Asian constructions from that time were much larger than European ones) was found in 2008.

During the exploration of the wreck in 2010, 38 thousand porcelain objects have already been brought to the surface. However, this is the proverbial drop in the ocean, because at the bottom there are still about 700 thousand porcelain pieces. These include bowls, dishes and cups produced during the reign of the Ming Dynasty and Emperor Wanli.

Arqueonauts Worldwide, an archaeological company dedicated to recovering valuable objects from endangered wrecks, is trying to excavate the porcelain. According to its representative, a wreck like this one is particularly vulnerable as the Indonesian coast is notorious for underwater looters. The whole operation is expected to cost $6.3m, but first the Indonesian government, as owner of the wreck, will have to issue the divers with the relevant permits.

Many of the items found on a wreck are in perfect condition. All thanks to the salt water, which, although merciless to wrecks, often serves as the best preservative for their cargo.

Source: latimes.com