MARITIME EXPLORATIONS

Maritime Explorations was established in Singapore in 1992 to provide consulting and project management services for all aspects of work involving historical shipwrecks. Operations rapidly expanded to include joint-venture projects and direct participation with regional Governments. Search and recovery services are also offered for more recent wrecks, such as those lost during World War II. In 2004, subsiduary Maritime Explorations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. was established in order to carry out shipwreck survey and excavation work under license to the Malaysian Government.

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Managing Director, Dr. Michael Flecker, has 32 years of experience in surveying for and archaeologically excavating ancient shipwrecks. He has a First Class Honours Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Western Australia and a PhD from the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS) based on his excavation of a 10th century shipwreck in Indonesia. The resultant thesis has been published as a book in the British Archaeological Report series. While NUS does not specifically award degrees in maritime archaeology, the thesis is specifically on that subject.

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Maritime Explorations has carried out shipwreck survey and excavation projects in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. These projects have been undertaken in conjunction with local partners, and complied with all Government licensing requirements. Through such experience the company is able to offer consultancy and project management services, and/or joint-venture participation to other companies or individuals involved in legitimate shipwreck activities worldwide.

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The importance of maritime archaeology is emphasised throughout this site. This is not just lip service. Significant archaeological information is irretrievably lost on a daily basis throughout Asia and many other parts of the world, through illegal salvage, irresponsible legal salvage, dynamite fishing, and trawling. While institutional excavation may be the ideal situation, funding and personnel are simply not available in many countries. Maritime Explorations therefore recognises that one of the best ways to combat this loss is to allow responsible commercial excavation of shipwreck sites, whereby the site and all artefacts are fully documented prior to any sale, and an across-the-board representative sample of artefacts is retained by the host country for future study and museum display.

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Through the experience and multi-disciplinary qualifications of the Managing Director, investors, partnerships, and a pool of professional personnel, Maritime Explorations can genuinely offer the following wide range of services and has the track record to prove it.

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• Research

• Financing

• Licensing

• Electronic Survey

• Wreck Assessment

• Engineering

• Vessel and Equipment Mobilisation

• Salvage / Excavation

• Conservation

• On-Site Documentation

• Post-Project Research

• Reporting / Publication

• Marketing