Pandanan Shipwreck

The Pandanan Shipwreck is an archaeological site which was excavated in 1995 by the Underwater Archaeology Division of the National Museum of the Philippines in Pandanan Island, in the coast of Southern Palawan. The ship was surmised to be a Southeast Asian cargo boat travelling from either Vietnam or Southern China and is one of the best preserved pre-Spanish trading ships within the jurisdiction of Philippines. It is speculated that the ship stopped at some ports in mainland South East Asia to load trade wares. Bad weather might have led to the sinking of the ship.

The boat’s dimensions are about 25 to 30 meters long and about six to eight meters wide. It had a flat bottom which was suited for riverine water. The Pandanan shipwreck is considered a rare site dated approximately at the mid-15th century because, as per Sakuma (1989), the Chinese imperial court ordered complete banning of all private trading within this time.

The discovery of the shipwreck was accidental. A long-time diver from the Ecofarm Systems Inc. (a pearl farm in Pandanan Island) named Eduardo Gordirilla stumbled upon the site by chance and found jars in the seabed as he was looking for a lost basket containing giant oysters. He then informed the manager of the farm, Efren T. Anies, who consequently called upon the national museum on June 9, 1993. Although a report about the wreck was submitted as early as 1993, it was only in 1995 that the official extensive excavated began. Surveying was done within the span of one year (1993 to 1994).

The ship was spotted under a coral reef cliff covered in sand and mud and is relatively near the land mass-only 250 meters away from the northeast coast. Typical holes were discovered along the divisions of the bulkhead of the ship so as to aid in letting water pass as it is pumped out. In addition, only one fourth of the body of the ship remained intact. Two theories were proposed for the ship’s condition. One is the infestation of the exposed wood by tropical sea worms. Second is the destructive capability of the rapid water currents. The area is well-dated due to the presence of Chinese coins and ceramics. This site is considered a major step in discovering the culture of the country as there is little written records and archives about the Philippines and South East Asia in general during the 15th century.

Using the Global Positioning System (GPS) the coordinates were identified to be eight degrees, nine minutes and forty-eight seconds (8° 9′ 48″) north latitude and one hundred seventeen degrees three minutes and six seconds (117° 3′ 6″) east longitude and had a depth of approximately 40 meters below sea level. The Pandanan Island is 9.6 km long and 4 km wide and shaped like a quadrangle.

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