Maritime conference to focus on Portuguese shipwrecks

AN upcoming Maritime Archaeology Conference will focus on 16th century Portuguese shipwrecks off the east coast of South Africa. The conference, being held from August 7 to 9 at the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast Sun, has been organised by the Pretoria-based Centre for Portuguese Nautical Studies, which is working closely with the South African Heritage Research Agency (SAHRA) and Amafa/Heritage KwaZulu Natal. The conference will focus from about 1522 onwards, when a series of shipwrecks occurred on the eastern seaboard as seafarers were establishing trade contact with the Far East. The conference will also take an integrated approach, piecing together what is known as a basis for further research. (Natalia Thompson)