In a bid to determine the age and the best method of preservation, the second phase of archeological studies started on a newly-discovered ancient ship off the Caspian beach of the northern Mazandaran province, Iranian Cultural Heritage News Agency reported.

The sailing ship measures 26 meters in length and 7.5 meters in width and is discovered near Zaghmarz coastline in the city of Behshahr. Last year studies failed to determine the exact age of the vessel.

“Last year police informed Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization (CHO) on the sighting of a wooden ship. The first phase of archeological studies, thus, started to remove the sand from around the hulk,” said Saman Sourtiji, archeologist with CHO. “Since the vessel had been submerged in water for a long time, it had become too heavy to be heaved toward the beach.”

He noted the second phase would focus on salvaging the ship and determining its age, while the sand would be scooped out of the deck.