The wreck of a 13th or 14th century ship has come to light on a construction site in Barcelona's Barceloneta district - beside the Balaurd del Migdia and behind Francia train station - that used to be under water.

The remains were discovered at around seven metres below sea level on the site of a new residential apartment block being built by the Sacyr Vallehermoso company on a plot previously owned by Renfe.

Since July 2006, when work began, experts from Barcelona's Archaeological Museum and the regional Heritage department have been supervising the project given the site's central location.

Mayor Jordi Hereu has visited the dig accompanied by the curator of Barcelona's History Museum, Joan Roca, who commented that the wrecked ship seems to have been designed for the North Atlantic which suggests that the port's trading activity was not limited to the Mediterranean.