Vietnam begins recovering ancient shipwreck
HANOI - Vietnam has begun recovering an ancient shipwreck containing
16th-century Chinese ceramics off the country's central coast, a salvage
official said Monday.
Eighteen divers, four archaeologists and nearly 30 support personnel
began
the operation Saturday, said the executive of the Union of Salvage
Companies, which is conducting the recovery.
Authorities do not know the nationality of the wooden ship or when it
sank,
said the executive, who identified himself only as Lam.
It lies 41 meters (135 feet) below the surface about 65 kilometers (40
miles) off the coast of Binh Thuan province, he said.
Local fishermen, who found the wreckage more than a year ago, looted
ceramic
objects that were later seized by authorities and are being stored in
Binh
Thuan's provincial museum.
The salvage was expected to take 45 days. It began despite seasonal
rough
seas because authorities did not want more objects taken from the wreck,
Lam
said.
The government has decided to keep the most significant objects and
auction
the rest, with the central government taking 30 percent of the proceeds.
The
remainder of the profits will be split between the local government and
the
salvage companies.
The value of the cargo is unknown.
The Associated Press - September 16, 2002.
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