Maputo — Património Internacional SARL, a company dedicated on the research and underwater archaeology, currently working under the aegis of the Mozambican government's Institute for the Management of State Holdings (IGEPE), has delivered in Maputo on Wednesday its findings of archaeological research carried out in the vicinity of the Island of Mozambique.

The project, started in 1999, was conducted in close coordination with the Mozambican authorities, through the Education and Culture Ministry (MEC) in compliance with a contract signed between both parties.

These findings include 14 gold coins, 443.6 grams of gold and 600 coins of silver worth at current price market about 35,570, 14,259.10 and 120,000.00 euros respectively.

The MEC will take the responsibility of delivering some of these artefacts to the relevant institutions, such as the Museum of Geology and Money Museum.

The shipwrecks where artefacts were found had already been plundered, having been recovered only those that were protected by ballasts, with few a exceptions.

Património Internacional SARL reassured that this project would bring added value to national tourism, by promotion of scientific and tourist diving expeditions on a number of shipwrecks that have already been identified in Mozambican waters, and turn them as an attractive for tourism development in the Island of Mozambique.

Speaking during the ceremony, Education and Culture Minister, Aires Aly, urged the academic community, through higher education institutions, to engage in training young students in underwater archaeology.

These artefacts will be exhibited at the Marine Museum of the Island of Mozambique that is expected to be open soon by the Education and Culture Minister.