An intact dugout wooden canoe, datable to prehistoric times, has been found at the bottom of the Black Sea by Bulgarian fishermen.

According to head of the Archaeological Museum in the port city of Sozopol, Dimitar Nedkov, the vessel was found some 15 miles off the coast.

"The dugout is 8.5 feet long and 27.5 inches wide, and it is made most probably of oak," AP quoted Nedkov as saying.

So far, four ancient vessels have been found in the Black Sea, where the oxygen-depleted water preserves them from the damage normally inflicted on wooden crafts.

"Nowhere else can you find similar dugouts, as well as any kind of wooden vessels over 300 years old, because water rots the wood away," said Dimitrov, adding, "In the Black Sea, however, there is dissolved hydrogen sulfide below a certain depth which preserves all organic materials."

TE/HGH