Deep-sea explorers have located the remains of a 17th-century Portuguese merchant vessel, nicknamed the 'Pepper Wreck', off the Malabar Coast of India. The ship, which was heavily involved in the lucrative maritime spice trade, was found with its hull largely intact due to the unique anaerobic conditions of the seabed. Preliminary surveys have revealed thousands of peppercorns, porcelain shards from the Ming Dynasty, and several bronze navigational instruments.
The discovery provides unprecedented data on the logistics of the early modern spice trade and the construction techniques of Portuguese 'Carreira da Índia' vessels. Researchers hope to recover the ship's logbook, which may be preserved in the silt, potentially offering a firsthand account of the perilous voyage between Lisbon and Kochi. The site has been declared a restricted maritime archaeological zone to prevent looting while a full excavation plan is developed by international experts.