RIGA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The wreckage of what is thought to be a 17th century ship has washed ashore in Bolderaja, a seaside town close to the capital city, Latvian public radio reported Thursday.

A local resident reported the find to the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation and a museum representative went to the Bolderaja beach on Thursday to inspect the wreckage.

Preliminary examination of what remains of the wooden vessel suggests that the ship was probably built in the 17th century of even earlier as its parts have been fastened together with wooden pegs or tree nails and not metallic bolts.

Experts estimate that the wreckage might be approximately ten meters long, but "its length is hard to measure because the wreck is in the water and we cannot pull it out unassisted," the museum's representative Solvita Kokina said.

She described the wreckage as a significant find, but said the museum had no suitable place to store it.

"Wood is a difficult material because it starts rotting as soon as it is taken out of the water. In the water it becomes conserved and does not decay...If we are to preserve it, we need to figure out where to store such a large piece of wood so that it can be of some use," Kokina told the public radio station.