Preparations begin for the operation to be carried out throughout April.

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The operation to extract the wreck of Ses Fontanelles

The Consell de Mallorca is launching the operation to begin the last phase of the excavations at the Ses Fontanelles shipwreck. This is an archaeological study to check the current state of conservation of the ship, which will be extracted over the next few months. The excavation of the ship’s naval architecture will be carried out over a month, at the same time as surveys of the immediate surroundings of the wreck.

Thus, preparations are beginning for the extraction of this 3rd-4th century shipwreck in the bay of Palma. According to the Vice President of the Consell de Mallorca and Councillor for Culture and Heritage, Antònia Roca, “This is a unique find due to its state of preservation and its load of amphorae, which are unique and provide a great deal of information about the period”.

On Tuesday the Consell de Mallorca began installing the necessary machinery in the area and organising all those involved, as the operation will last between three weeks and a month and will involve 40 people, including Ports IB, the Guardia Civil and the Navy, among others. It should be noted that the Heritage brigade of the Consell de Mallorca has been in charge of building a sand suction machine that will be used to uncover and cover the wreck again after the excavations.

Roca said that this operation marks the beginning of preparations for the future extraction of the wreck, which is scheduled to take place between the last months of this year and the first months of 2025. The vice president and councillor explained that a specific date cannot yet be given, as the weather will play a fundamental role in the operation.

Once the wreck has been extracted, it will be transferred to the Castillo de San Carlos, where a tank will be built in which it will be preserved and where the desalination process will be carried out for 18 months. This process will be open to the public so that citizens can visit the wreck.