United States (US) Ambassador Julie Chung inaugurated the Godawaya Shipwreck Exhibition at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo, together with the Central Cultural Fund’s (CCF) Maritime Archaeology Unit (MAU). 

The multi-year Godawaya Shipwreck Project, funded through the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), is a US-Sri Lanka partnership to preserve the oldest known wooden shipwreck in the Asia-Pacific region, dating back over 2,100 years. 

Chung underscored the project’s significance, stating: “From ports to people, we are Indo-Pacific partners working together to safeguard security, ensure open commerce, and protect the futures of our nations. The Godawaya shipwreck is a reminder that secure sea lanes have powered prosperity for centuries and remain vital to both American and Sri Lankan interests today.” 

The exhibition will be open to the public from 11 a.m. yesterday (3), and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today (4) and tomorrow (5). Visitors can explore artifacts recovered from the shipwreck, including pottery, grinding stones, glass and metal ingots, and carnelian beads. 

CCF Director General Dr. Nilan Cooray, said: “The artifacts displayed here tell a story of connection, trade, and cultural exchange that transcends borders and time.” 

The MAU has safeguarded nearly 200 artifacts unearthed from the wreck, employed advanced three-dimensional modeling techniques for site surveying, and developed a comprehensive 3D model of the shipwreck site. The artifacts will be permanently housed at the Maritime Archaeology Museum in Galle, with an AFCP-supported education programme bringing the story of the shipwreck to local schools.