 The Belitung shipwreck ( also called the Tang shipwreck or Batu Hitam shipwreck ) is the wreck of an Arabian dhow which sailed a route from Africa to China around 830 AD . The ship completed the outward journey , but sank on the return journey , approximately 1 mile ( 1 @.@ 6 km ) off the coast of Belitung Island , Indonesia . It is unclear why the ship was so far from its expected route back from China . Belitung is to the south @-@ east of the Singapore Strait by 380 miles ( 610 km ) , and this secondary route is more normal for ships travelling from the Java Sea , which is south of Belitung Island . 
