ANKARA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish archaeologists have found a 3,600-year-old shipwreck, which could be the oldest one in the world, off the shores of southern Turkey's Antalya province, Anadolu Agency reported Monday.

The shipwreck, dated back to 1600 B.C. in Bronze Age, was discovered off the coast of the Mediterranean by an underwater research team from Akdeniz University.

The merchant ship is 14-meter long and 50-meter depth, loaded with 1.5 tons of copper bullion.

Researchers believe the ship was caught in a storm while sailing to the island of Crete or the Aegean Sea.

Speaking at a press conference, Antalya Governor Munir Karaoglu described the discovery as "archaeological breakthrough" since it could be not only the world's oldest shipwreck, but also a vessel carrying the earliest industrial products in human history.

A Greek merchant ship, which was found off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast dating back more than 2,400 years, is currently known as the world's oldest shipwreck so far.