Shipwrecks yield artefacts

Piece of history: A diver removing an artefact from a wreck near Pedra Branca. — The Straits Times/ANN

AT an hour when most people are snugly in bed, five divers are already on board a vessel – and on their way to a spot a good 44km away from mainland Singapore.

Some bleary eyes are not unexpected in the pre-dawn hour, but a sense of mission pervades as they are on their way to a “treasure hunt” – a maritime excavation, to be precise.