A sunken ship was found in the Baltic Sea during seabed surveys for Lithuania’s first offshore wind farm, as reported by developer Ignitis Renewables on December 5. The windfarm would potentially supply one fourth of Lithuania’s current energy requirements.
The shipwreck was discovered at a depth of around 38 metres by Fugro Frontier, a geophysical survey vessel of the Dutch geotechnical company Fugro. The company is a subsidiary of the state-controlled energy group Ignitis Grupė.
The ship is about 70 metres long and about 6 metres high. More information about it is expected after additional historical and underwater archaeological research.
According to the Department of Cultural Heritage, 19 shipwreck locations in Lithuania’s territorial waters in the Baltic Sea are currently listed in its register.
Ignitis Renewables says that the 120-square-kilometre seabed area designated for developing wind projects has never been surveyed in such detail. In the surveys, Ignitis Renewables is working with Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions, a specialist offshore engineering and design consultancy that is part of Britain’s Venterra Group, and Lithuania’s Geobaltic.
