1) is a Chinese merchant ship, which sank into the South China Sea during the Southern Song dynasty between 1127 and 1279.
MER PLC had a joint venture with the Guangzhou branch of the Chinese Salvage Company.
According to the head of the excavation project, the ship left port in southern China to trade with foreign countries and sank probably due to stormy waves.
The ship was placed in a pool-type container called the "Crystal Palace" in the purpose-built Maritime Silk Route Museum.
Visitors are able to watch the ongoing excavation of the ship through windows on two sides of the pool.