Nanhai IIsalvage operation set to go

SHANTOU, Guangdong: Salvage work is expected to begin this year on the Nanhai II, an ancient ship discovered last May off the coast of Nan'ao county of Shantou, Guangdong province, a local relics official said yesterday.

The ship is believed to be the second-largest sunken cargo vessel discovered in China, after Nanhai I, a Song Dynasty (1127-1279) craft that was retrieved from the ocean floor near Yangjiang city last year.

"Plans to recover the entire ship this year have been submitted to the provincial government and State Administration of Cultural Heritage for approval," Xin Guo'an, director of the relics department under the Shantou culture, radio, television and press bureau, said.