Skip to content

06 km Southwest of Negombo

SL/W/NEGO/M/24

MV We Ling /SLN A522 · VIP Car Wreck

Period
Modern
Year sunk
2018
District
Gampaha
Depth
18.00–25.00 m
Vessel type
General Cargo Ship, Iron Hull, Motor Vessel, Bulk Carrier

Overview

One of the few purposefully sunk wrecks to create an artificial reef for marine tourism and fisheries. The SLN A522 (previously MV We Link, a Singaporean owned ship abandoned by the crew after engine failure) was used as the vessel to securely dispose armor plated VIP vehicles at the behest of a court order. The wreck lies in waters 25m deep, northwest of the Negombo Lagoon.

One of the few artificial reefs in Sri Lanka. A unique dive site with an intact wreck with several armour-plated VIP cars.
A huge shoal of Big-Eye Trevally have settled on the wreck. The wreck consists of several decks and compartments. As of December 2020, some areas of the wreck has collapsed.

Deck of the ship 27 Feb 2019
Cars and SUV's on the deke 27 Feb 2019 © Rasika Muthukumarana
Sinking ship
Video 27 Feb 2019 © Rasika Muthucumarana

Location

District: Gampaha

Province: Western

Depth profile

18–25 m

Protection & status

Access
None
Legal status
None
Physical protection
None
Degradation
Corrosion
Threat
Corrosion
Threat
Deterioration

Vessel chronology

2018

Year sunk

Record provenance

Recorded
2018-03-26
Last updated
2021-05-24
Biodiversity survey
Incomplete

Data: National Shipwreck Database / CCF–MAU