Norway discovered a sinking ship full of Chinese china: once hit, the china was preserved.

According to news reports, Norwegian archaeologists recently discovered an 18-century sinking ship in the southern part of the country and recovered an alarming amount of Chinese china from it. Nina Revesses, Director of the Museum of the Norwegian Cultural History Foundation, said that it “marked a new era in Norwegian archaeology”, most of the wrecks found off the coast of northern Europe were severely damaged or stolen, and the ship discovered this time was “like an extremely secure time capsule”. Archaeologists have indicated that the wreck is named “Porcelain sinking”, which will deepen understanding of the trading system in the Nordic region.

The sinking ship, which contains ceramics, is the most well preserved example of similar discoveries in the Nordic region. Espen Saastad is a watchmaker and a professional diver engaged in seabed surveying. In September 2025, Espen Sastad caught a picture with a camera while he was at the bottom of the ocean. – At a depth of 600 metres, there was a sinking ship with an alarming number of Chinese china on board. He immediately realized that this was an extremely special discovery and contacted archaeologists at the Norwegian Maritime Museum.

Chinese china in the sank of the Skagrak Strait in southern Norway.

Sven Ahrens, Director of Research at the Norwegian Maritime Museum, said, “We often find cargo and ship-mounted materials, but they are usually broken or covered by the appurtenance of marine life. And here, intact china piles up on the bottom floor."

A technological miracle.

Aarons explained that archaeologists recognized at first glance that these were Chinese china from the eighteenth century. In a video by Espen Sastad, they also saw chandeliers and fragments of fine high-foot cups. “These items have their own cultural value. We were very concerned that if someone found the site, they might try to recover it for themselves.”

The Chinese china in the bottom of the sand.

Arens and his colleagues brought the video to the office of the Norwegian Cultural Heritage Authority. The officials present included the marine archaeologist Ivar Aarrestad. Areztade said, "When we sit around the table and look at the picture on the screen, I feel it's quite different from anything I've seen before. This is the culmination of my career, both in terms of discovery itself and in terms of its archaeological significance. These findings are not only beautiful, very aesthetic, but also very valuable. They will deepen our understanding of our economic history.”

All kinds of glassware and high-foot cups in subseas mud.

Since then, Norwegian archaeologists have recovered almost 40 objects from the seabed 600 metres deep. “It is a technological miracle. First of all, we actually found this site; secondly, the state of preservation of antiquities in a deep-sea environment was so perfect; and lastly, despite the depth of the deep sea, we were able to carry out effective archaeological work on it.” Arezstad said.

UAV

In a press release issued on 1 June, the Norwegian Cultural Heritage Agency stated that the wreck had been discovered underwater in Skagerrak, southern Norway, dating back to the mid-18th century. Archaeologists named it “Porcelain Wreck”.

Frode Kvalø, a marine archaeologist at the Norwegian Maritime Museum, is currently in charge of leading the “Porcelain sinking” project. He stated that “in the Nordic region, there has never been a precedent for archaeological investigations in such a deep and open ocean environment. Even with a global look, only a few cases can be compared.” He said. To date, the exploration of the wreck has been carried out mainly through a device called the “Rov Control Submarine Robot”. Archaeologists command the entire operation by remote control on board the ship, while the unmanned submersible is suspended by a crane on board.

Unmanned submersibles are being suspended from the crane. Medium

It has been learned that the work of the project is being carried out in a manner that is entirely subject to weather conditions; even a small surge is sufficient to cause disruption of operations. During Easter this year, the machine went underwater and photographed the wreck. On the basis of these photographs, researchers were able to construct a fine 3D model and to map precisely the location of the wreck and the cargo it carried. In May, archaeologists successfully recovered some 40 artefacts using a mechanical arm equipped with special suctions. The vast majority of them are Chinese china. They are kept as if they had just been purchased yesterday.

This remote-controlled submersible is equipped with a specially designed mechanical arm that can gently pick up a china cup.

A wreck full of luxury.

According to Kwaro, the eighteenth century marked the emergence of a modern market economy and a consumer culture. During this period, significant changes occurred in trade transactions and the types of commodities available for purchase. “From the point of view of cultural history, this is of very special significance to us in the North.” Although a number of 18-century wreckages have been discovered off the coast of Norway, the vast majority of ships carry only one type of cargo, such as timber, iron ore or fish. “This `porcelain sunk' is the first one we have discovered so far to give a full picture of the breadth of commercial activity across the 18th century in the Nordic region. With this, we will be able to take a deep insight into what the system of trade in the 18th century was in the Nordic region.” Kvalo said.

Parts such as glassware, bottles and chandeliers

Using the mechanical arm of underwater robots, archaeologists opened another damaged wooden box in an attempt to confirm whether it contained china. However, the box was not a china, but a small box containing various compartments containing various items. These may be tea, coffee, cocoa or some kind of medicine. At present, many wooden boxes remain unopened on this sinking ship, and archaeologists are still unaware of what is hidden in these boxes.

Excellent saving condition

The ship and the cargo it contained were kept in excellent condition, in part because of the unique conditions of preservation at such depths of the sea floor. In addition, the wreck largely avoided trawling. “Trawling operations often cause great damage to wrecks. The `porcelain wreck' had been hit several times, but the damage appeared to be very limited.” Kvalo said.

A bunch of Chinese china from the wreck.

In the expert ' s view, the ship had to sink at an extremely rapid and almost vertical rate. That is why it is now in the same position as it was when it was floating on the surface. As a result, most of the cargo on board remains in its original place of loading. According to Kwaro, “Our knowledge of this before is rather scarce, as similar archaeological discoveries are often dilapidated and fragmented. This time, we will have an opportunity to learn more about how the ship was loaded at that time.”

Only in the northern waters.

So where does this ship come from? Archaeologists found straw fillings in wooden boxes filled with china, and they speculated that the Chinese china on board still retained the original packaging from China or Indonesia.

However, the ship itself did not sail far to China. According to the researchers, the vessel was a small Galiot, a small cargo vessel active mainly in the Nordic sea. Thus, the china on board must have been purchased from ports where such goods were sold, such as Gothenburg, Copenhagen or Amsterdam.

Of the recovered antiquities, a brick was taken from the “galley” (i.e., the boat kitchen) on board. The brick was etched with the manufacturer ' s mark, from which archaeologists traced the brick to Lubeck, Germany. “A ship may, during its voyage, replace some of its kitchen facilities or perform necessary repairs. So the only thing we can be sure of at this point is that this ship visited Lubeck at some point in time.” Kvalo said.

The Chinese china that sleeps under the sea for 250 years.

In the eighteenth century, all Norwegian merchant ships were required to pay Denmark a fee called the “Strait Passage Tax” when passing through the sea between Hersinger and Hersinburg. Today, all the relevant digitized logbooks of current tax payments have been completed. At present, a marine historian is perceiving these historical archives in the hope that they will reveal the true identity of the “ china wreck”.

The Chinese china is well preserved.

Full archaeological excavations at 600 meters.

To date, only about 40 items have been recovered and landed, but thousands remain scattered over the wreck site. These include stove panels with decorative designs that may reveal the origin of the ship, as well as fine, plant-like ceramics.

Arens and Kovalo would like to have the opportunity to recover more from the wreck. Arrens claims that the objective pursued by these marine archaeologists was by no means just to salvage the “porcelain wreck” itself. Their ultimate goal is a full-scale archaeological excavation at a depth of 600 metres.

Mr. Freud Kvalho is receiving a relic from the ship.

For its part, Kvalo states that “We now have enough data to develop a comprehensive exhumation programme. To date, we have had a good understanding of the sites we face. However, there are still unopened boxes, perhaps with unexpected surprises.”

(Booked from Forskning.no, by Aida Eileen Bergstrom)