Researchers have been working to identify the origins of a very mysterious shipwreck found on the floor of the Baltic Sea off Lithuania, officials mentioned, marking an unforeseen discovery in waters where fewer than about 20 shipwrecks have been officially registered.
By Happenstance
Ignitis Renewables — a branch of the Lithuanian energy company Ignitis Group that particularly focuses on green energy — faced the shipwreck by happenstance as it was surveying the seafloor in that area for a wind farm assignment, the firm declared. The sunken vessel measures about 230 feet in length and about 20 feet in height and has stayed seemingly out of sight and unexplored. It has been discovered 125 feet beneath the surface of the ocean in a portion of the Baltic Sea that had never been studied in detail before Ignitis Renewables’ research, the company reported. The huge unstudied area covers around 75 miles, and Lithuanian officials informed the energy major that they weren’t aware of the wreck before.
Paulius Kalmantas, a spokesperson associated with Ignitis Renewables, mentioned in a statement that relevant Lithuanian authorities have confirmed the firm had not earlier been marked in national databases. The firm mentioned additional historical as well as underwater archaeological research would aid authorities in knowing more regarding the shipwreck, something per Kalmantas will be very valuable for the nation’s scientific community as well as historians. The data gathered in that process will be used to help Ignitis Renewables as it develops the first-ever offshore wind farm based in Lithuania that hopes to fulfil approximately one-quarter of Lithuania’s electricity needs with green energy.
Rare Discovery
While conducting research on the floor of the Baltic Sea for the offshore wind power park assignment, they found an unknown sunken vessel!
Ignitis Group had written in a translated social media post last week that they are handing the unusual findings over to specialists, who will aid in revealing more information regarding the object. In addition, detailed information about the seabed will not simply be used in the project, but also shared with the Lithuanian science community. Whether Lithuania will register the shipwreck formally in its national database of historically significant spots depends on the research, said Augustina Kurilienė, the official associated with the heritage department at the nation’s Ministry of Culture.
The ministry stated that the discovery is rare in the Baltic Sea and just 19 shipwrecks in Lithuanian waters are registered officially. Once the ship’s dating becomes more evident, a decision will be made on the registration with the Register of Cultural Values, Kurilienė mentioned in the statement. Regardless, Lithuania will abide by the UNESCO guidelines for safeguarding and preserving underwater cultural heritage, she mentioned. Archaeologist and heritage specialist Elena Pranckėnaitė informed the company the shipwreck can be studied to understand the history of shipping in the Baltic Sea.
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Source: Marineinsight
