Dutch East India Company (VOC) shipwreck archaeology in Galle: Avondster wreck artifacts?
3 Answers from travellers
The Avondster, a Dutch VOC ship that sank in 1659, rests in shallow water near the northern end of Galle Harbour. Because of its shallow depth (around 5 meters), the site is exposed to heavy seasonal harbor surge, dredging siltation, and bio-erosion from marine wood-boring shipworms (Teredo navalis). The Maritime Archaeology Unit (MAU) of the Central Cultural Fund preserves the oak hull timber in-situ by anchoring permeable geotextile sandbags over exposed sections to create an anoxic sediment layer that prevents oxygenated water from degrading preserved organic artifacts and leather fittings.
Diving the Avondster site requires formal scientific authorization from the Director General of Archaeology; recreational artifact hunting is prosecuted as maritime heritage looting.
Recovered cannons and ceramics from the excavation are curated and displayed at the National Maritime Museum situated inside the Dutch colonial warehouse in Galle Fort.
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