Salvage operation of ancient boat postponed till mid-Feb
High tides at the site hamper work
Workers recently clean the around 200-year-old boat that surfaced during a low tide in Kuakata sea beach on June 29 last year, as part of the expert committee's preparation to salvage the antique boat. However, the salvage operation has now been postponed till mid-February due to high tide. Photo: STAR
The salvage operation of the ancient Kuakata boat has been postponed till mid February due to high tide. The decision was taken at a meeting of the technical committee responsible for the salvation of the boat that had surfaced near the River Gangamati on the Kuakata beach on June 29 last year. The wooden boat is 72 feet long and 23 feet wide and its hull is protected by a bright copper sheet, unveiling an unknown era of boat making in the rich maritime history of Bangladesh. The meeting was held at the Department of Archaeology office in Agargaon yesterday where the chief of the committee, a French born Bangladeshi and expert on traditional boats of Bangladesh, Yves Marre explained that the challenging salvation job was hampered mainly due to high tides invading the site. “According to Bangladesh Navy, the lowest tide will be observed on February 20,†Yves said, “We shall have to start all preparatory work beginning from February 10 and at the lowest water level we shall salvage the boat and take it to a safer site in Kuakata.†Yves Marre added that in the first phase of the salvation work that started in December, they removed the sand that buried the boat and had a proper inspection to formulate a strategy to unearth it. He added that as the water level started to rise, they refilled the boat with sand and postponed the operation till the period of lowest tide. Admiral (retd) A Taher, also a member of the technical team, said salvation of the ancient boat is a big challenge. “Never before in the maritime history of this region did an ancient boat surface in this manner, so every time we are working on it, we are learning more about the delicate operation,†Taher said. The ancient boat is believed to be belonging to the first Rakhine settlers from Arakan province in Myanmar more than 200 years ago. Archaeologist and another member of the technical committee, Dr MM Hoque said during the first phase of the salvage operation it became clear that the boat is unique in nature. “We shall learn more about the origin of the boat as we continue our research but there is no doubt that it is quite different from anything we have seen,†Hoque said. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs initiated the salvage operation forming a committee with archaeologists, experts and district administrators of Patuakhali on November 6 last year.
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