ANCODS stands for the Australian Netherlands Committee on Old Dutch Shipwrecks and was set up in 1972 following a bilateral agreement between the Australian and Netherlands governments regarding the wrecks of Dutch East India Company (VOC) ships off the coast of Western Australia.
In the 17th and 18th century navigators of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) made landfall on Australian shores. Most landings were part of deliberate explorations. Some however, were involuntary and resulted in disastrous loss of ships and lives.
These shipwrecks were discovered and excavated in the 20th century. The common history and resulting archaeological evidence has led to the cooperation between the Netherlands and Australia. The bilateral committee responsible for the archaeological collection, ANCODS, is now preparing the repatriation of all parts of this collection to Australia.
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