Phoenician shipwreck in Mazarrón will be lifted from the seabed

The 7th century wreck lies just off the shore of Playa de la Isla in Puerto de Mazarrón

The discoveries of two shipwrecked Phoenician ships just off the Playa de la Isla in the Puerto de Mazarrón in 1988 and 1998 are amongst the most important marine archaeological findings in the Region of Murcia, mainly because wooden remains of boats from the 7^th century BC are extremely rare.

The Phoenicians were marine traders, who plied the Mediterranean basin, working from small coastal settlements and trading in a wide range of materials. Tin ingots recovered from another vessel found just off the San Javier coast proves that their reach even extended as far as the UK, Cornish tin amongst the items discovered.(For more info about the Phoenicians, click following the Phoenicians in the Murcia Region)

Mazarrón was not only a trading post, but was also the site of salt fish sauce production, a prized commodity which fetched a high price in other Mediterranean areas, and there are thousands of shards of Phoenician pottery lying in areas of the coastline where production took place.

The two vessels were built to skirt the coast and were possibly used to transport goods either out to larger vessels offshore or along the coast to larger ports.

The first vessel was incomplete and was removed, dried out and put on display in the ARQUA museum of Cartagena, where there is also a reproduction of the second vessel, Mazarrón 2 (see image 2). This was excavated and its cargo removed, but left in situ beneath a secure steel casing to protect it while decisions were taken as to what to do with the vessel long-term.

Mazarrón 2 is believed to be the best preserved wreck from this period yet discovered, and the council is keen to take advantage of its importance to develop the tourism offering in the municipality. Various proposals have been put forward to make it possible for divers and boat trips to view it or to remove it from the water for restoration and subsequent display.

However, the latest panel of experts has now reached the conclusion that the best way of ensuring that the wreck is studied, conserved and promoted as an attraction is to remove the wreckage from its current site, and suggestions as to how this delicate operation might be performed have also been drafted, the plan being to undertake further subaquatic surveys during 2016, with the aim of lifting the boat in 2017.

The Town Hall of Mazarrón is adamant that if this second course of action is the one followed, then the boat must not leave the municipality, where it would stimulate greater year-round tourist activity. However, there is inevitably pressure for the vessel to be housed alongside its sister vessel in the Arqua museum, in Cartagena.

This week the Mayoress of Mazarrón, Alicia Jiménez, presented the findings of the panel set up to examine all of the options open to the council, and announced that Mazarrón 2 would be lifted and a museum created “as close to the original site as possible” where the boat could be displayed.

Later in the week she met with the regional minister for culture to discuss the options open to the municipality and the financing possibilities available to not only lift and restore Mazarrón 2, but also ways of developing further attractions based around some of the other historical sites within the municipality.