Border guards temporarily seized a number of ceramic artifacts suspected of being illegally exploited.

Quang Ngai Border Guard discovered on the fishing boat of Mr. Nguyen Van Trien, 42 years old, hiding 40 ceramic plates and bowls, suspected to be illegally exploited antiques.

Authorities inspect Mr. Trien's fishing boat. Photo: Thach Thao

Yesterday, while on patrol, the border guards discovered Mr. Trien's ship had suspicious signs so they inspected it. The ship owner said that he and 8 crew members salvaged the ceramic items from the sea at a depth of 60 meters, in an area 3 nautical miles from Ganh Yen cape, Thanh Thuy village, Binh Hai commune, Binh Son district.

Suspecting that the artifacts were illegally exploited, the border guards counted, sealed, and temporarily seized all the ceramic objects for clarification. Currently, in the above-mentioned area, the authorities discovered a group of fishing boats from inside and outside the province surrounding the area to search for artifacts, causing disorder and insecurity.

A ceramic plate suspected to be an antique was seized. Photo: Thach Thao

Quang Ngai sea is where many ancient shipwrecks have been discovered, most in Binh Chau commune and the communes of Dung Quat and Binh Son. In the past, antiquities were exploited secretly by fishermen, against regulations, but recently it has been done in an orderly manner, under the supervision of authorities. Some of the salvaged antiquities are displayed in museums, and some are distributed to private individuals who have paid for the exploitation.

Linh Pham

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/bien-phong-tam-giu-so-do-gom-nghi-co-vat-khai-thac-trai-phep-4606939.html