Current state of conservation of the submerged 17th century city of Port Royal surveyed by an international team of underwater archaeologists in Kingston, Jamaica at the end of July 2016. The project, conducted by Dr. Jon Henderson of University of Nottingham, UK, Dr. Matthew Johnson-Roberson of the University of Michigan, Dr Oscar Pizarro of the University of Sydney and their team along with experts from the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, brings together expertise in underwater archaeology, robotic technology and image processing to map an important part of the submerged Port Royal.

The project also aimed to refine modern optical mapping tools and techniques for underwater archaeology to enable to produce detailed, photo-realistic plans and models of submerged sites quickly, economically and to a level of accuracy comparable to that achieved on terrestrial sites. Port Royal, with its low visibility and challenging environment offers the opportunity to test and develop an optical system capable of working under the full range of conditions experienced by underwater archaeologists

The underwater city of Port Royal is on the UNESCO Tentative List of the World Heritage of Jamaica and could fall into the category of "catastrophic sites," places that are devastated by some natural disaster and in the act of destruction, preserved in situ. The universal significance of Port Royal stems from the fact that it is distinctly different from most archaeological locations. According to Robert Grenier, a Canadian Marine Archaeologist, it is one of the most important underwater sites in the world.  "This is the richest repository of historic shipwrecks anywhere, and Port Royal itself is part of that heritage," he asserts.

In the 17 century, Port Royal was known as "the wickedest city on earth", the virtual capital of Jamaica, the mercantile centre of the Caribbean, and headquarters for buccaneers and pirates. On June 7, 1692 Port Royal was struck by a massive earthquake; two thirds of the bustling city sank into the sea, while about two fifths of the population died either in the earthquake or in the series of fires and hurricanes that followed.  Parts of the sunken city can clearly be seen from just below the surface; it remains perfectly preserves as it was on the day of the earthquake.  

Despite now being a small, quiet fishing village, Port Royal it is one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in Jamaica.  The Government of Jamaica is committed in promoting and maintain Port Royal’s historical importance; in so doing, the Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport of Jamaica, in her World Museum Day presentation, mentioned that the Government is keen on establishing a state-of-the-art museum at Port Royal in a move to streamline the country’s cultural assets and services