The historic discoveries being made in connection with Oslo's waterfront redevelopment have led to near-constant monitoring of the area by a team of archaeologists.
This week they've been excited by the emergence of three more shipwrecks, probably from as early as the 1600s.
The vessels are believed to have been cargo ships, and their wreckage was probably laid down as part of the foundation for a pier anytime between 1600 and 1800. Also found near the vessel remnants were the remains of a timbered wharf.
"This is a major find," Hilde Vangstad, an archaeologist with the Norwegian Maritime Museum (Norsk Sjøfartsmuseum) told newspaper Aftenposten on Wednesday. "It's seldom we find such well-preserved vessels."
The vessels are around 15 meters long (45 feet) and made of oak. Tests will help determine whether they were built in Oslo, elsewhere in Norway or abroad. They've been well-preserved by the mud in an area that once was underwater but now is set back from the current harbour area.
The vessels were arranged alongside each other, next to the timber pier. Excavations are expected to be completed by September.
A total of seven shipwrecks have now been found in the redevelopment area, which is anchored by Norway's new Opera House. Construction workers running the earthmovers have learned to be careful because of the historical objects that keep turning up as sites are prepared for new buildings, in this case a high-rise office complex.
"I'm doing the best I can," said equipment operator Niclas Skogsmo. "If we run into anything, we take it easy until the archaeologists can have a look."
