The Department for Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration (CSMZAE), in collaboration with the Stanford University, launched, today, a two-week Training in Archaeological Survey of the Victoire shipwreck at Pointe aux Canonniers in Grand Bay.

In a statement at the Grand Bay National Coast Guard Post, the Director General of CSMZAE, Dr Rezah Badal, highlighted that the objective of the survey is to build capacity in underwater cultural heritage through the study of shipwrecks of more than 100 years. He lauded the fruitful collaboration that resulted from the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between CSMZAE and the Stanford University, with the participation of national and international experts.

Director General Badal indicated that there are more than 1,000 shipwrecks around Mauritius which are linked to a rich cultural history and which are yet to be discovered. To this end, he pointed out, the CSMZAE has started conducting archaeological surveys in the South East region of the country since 2018.

Furthermore, Dr Badal recalled that past training programmes have been undertaken within the scope of the Mauritius Underwater Cultural Heritage Project. He also expressed confidence that trainings such as the archaeological survey of the Victoire shipwreck will bring additional information so as to further bolster knowledge on underwater cultural heritage in Mauritius.