Wreck of the Rooswijk Designated

Culture Minister David Lammy has taken action to protect the wreck of the 18th century Dutch East India Company vessel Rooswijk. The wreck was discovered in 2004 by divers in the Kentish Knock and lies in the Goodwin Sands, off the Kent coast.

The Rooswijk was an armed merchant vessel which vanished in a storm in December 1739, one day out from Texel, a Dutch East Island, on her second voyage to the East Indies. None of the 250 people aboard survived and there were no witnesses to her fate.

The decision to 'designate' the well-preserved remains under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 follows a recommendation from English Heritage. The Order laid in Parliament will protect the remains - and the 150m area around them - and will prevent accidental damage. Designation means that it is a criminal offence for a person to interfere with the site except under the authority of a license.

David Lammy said 'Britain has a rich maritime heritage, as the SeaBritain celebrations in 2005 proved so successfully. International commerce is a major part of this heritage, not least for the cultural exchanges it has helped to promote.

The history of the Rooswijk is well documented and its wreck site has the potential to yield a wealth of information about trade between Europe and the East Indies in the early 18th century. It also provides a rare opportunity to gain insight into a period when English shipwrights were employed to standardize Dutch ship design.

For these reasons, it is fitting that this site gains statutory protection.'