The Phoenician shipwreck of Mazarrón will come out of the sea in June. The working group formed by the Government of López Miras and the Ministry of Culture of the Executive of Sánchez has given the go-ahead to the extraction project of the ‘Mazarrón II’, which will later be transferred to the laboratory of the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology of Cartagena (ARQVA) to be stabilised and treated, the Community informed this Thursday in a press release. The Consistory of Mazarrón has been proposing for years to build a museum in the coastal town to house the vessel, which is why the announcement that the ship is going to the ARQVA has not gone down well. «We are not a colony of either the Community or the State so that they can decide behind our backs about the future of our archaeological jewel,» said the mayor of Mazarrón, Ginés Campillo.
According to the councillor, «once again we are witnessing the contempt of the Government of López Miras and the Government of Pedro Sánchez towards Mazarrón. They make decisions behind the backs of the people of Mazarrón about what rightfully belongs to us, our Phoenician ship».
Mayor Campillo considers that Pedro Sánchez and López Miras «make decisions behind the backs of the people of Mazarrón about what rightfully belongs to us».
The regional government said on Thursday that it will be this same body that will assume the cost of the extraction work, estimated at 350,000 euros. «The project’s drafting team, which is made up of experts in nautical and underwater archaeology, conservation and restoration, has proposed that the work be carried out during the month of June, taking advantage of the absence of strong tides and currents,» said López Miras.
The Community of Murcia announced that it will take the ship out of the sea in June and bring it to Cartagena.
«The jewel belongs to Mazarrón».
All in all, the first mazarronero mayor is clear that «the protocol that contemplates the transfer of the wreck to the ARQVA to be stabilized and treated leaves completely out of the actions on the conservation and future exhibition of the archaeological jewel to the Mazarrón Town Hall», when «the archaeological jewel is of Mazarrón». «The ship should not leave Mazarrón without a written commitment that it will return to the municipality once it has been restored and, for this reason, we continue to demand that Murcia and Madrid create a commission to monitor the actions on the wreck in which all the administrations are involved,» said Campillo.
The mayor again demanded that the Ministry of Culture authorise the construction of a museum in Mazarrón to house and properly exhibit the wreck once it has been restored, thus guaranteeing its preservation and public access in its place of origin. «We are a Phoenician port, the ship appeared here and here it should be exhibited to the public. Mazarrón has the right to highlight its Phoenician past, to promote culture and tourism around the great traders of the Mediterranean. Who are the Ministry or the regional government to deprive the people of Mazarrón of this right?»
Land for the museum
As for the museum, «we have the land available in the surrounding area, right on the Cabezo del Faro overlooking the beach of Isla de Adentro where the ships appeared and, moreover, we have sufficient economic resources to build the museum and convention centre of the Phoenician world,» said Campillo, who insisted that «Mazarrón is not a colony of either Murcia or Madrid so that they can come here and expropriate our historical heritage,» he said, referring to the need for a more collaborative and respectful approach to heritage and local identity.
For this reason, he called on the citizens of Mazarrón, cultural associations and social agents to unite in defence of their heritage and in the vindication of their right to participate in the decisions that affect their cultural and historical legacy.
Ship with cracks
Campillo emphasised his commitment to the protection and promotion of the historical and cultural heritage of Mazarrón, assuring that he will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that decisions about the future of the Phoenician shipwreck ‘Mazarrón II’ are taken in a transparent and beneficial way for all Mazarroneros.
The treasure still resting in the waters of Mazarrón is a unique Phoenician ship from the 7th century BC, a jewel that lies on the beach of La Isla. «The experts agree that the extraction must be carried out taking into account the existing cracks in the ship, and taking advantage of them to achieve a totally safe, stable and controlled extraction. Once extracted, it will be treated in the ARQVA facilities, since it is the only one with the necessary facilities and equipment to do so,» continues the Community in the note sent on Thursday.
More than 2,000 years old
The Phoenician wreck ‘Mazarrón II’ was discovered in 1994 on the beach of La Isla del Puerto de Mazarrón. It is a vessel more than 2,000 years old, and an archaeological piece of great scientific and patrimonial interest. Its dimensions are 8.15 x 2.20 metres, and its importance is accredited by its consideration as an Asset of Cultural Interest of the Region of Murcia. When the vessel was discovered in 1994, it was protected with a metal sarcophagus in order to preserve it in situ, under the sea. However, the tides have been damaging its structure.