Italian divers have discovered an ancient Roman shipwreck off the coast of Sicily, believed to be more than 2,000 years old.

The vessel was found piled high with hundreds of well-preserved containers, which were used to transport goods such as wine and olive oil.

Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli hailed the wreck as “one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years”.

Specialist police divers found the ship around 46m (150ft) deep, after a tip-off from fishermen. The wreckage is 21m (69ft) long and 6m (20ft) wide, according to reports in local media.

The culture ministry says it dates from the second or 1st Century BC.

Fisherman and free-diver Giacomo De Mola described stumbling across the historic vessel while surveying the seabed near Mazara del Vallo.

In a social media post, he said he decided to dive and investigate after seeing something that appeared to be a large rock on his scanner.

“I get closer. And my heart stops. It wasn’t a rock,” he said. Instead, he saw hundreds of amphorae – tall ceramic jars used to store goods in the ancient era, mostly wine, oil or grain.

“This is, without a doubt, the most incredible discovery of my life,” he said. “It’s hard to describe what it feels like to be among the first humans, in nearly 20 centuries, to see that place again.”

He posted a video of the wreck, showing eels, snappers and “countless marine life” living among the jars, noting: “The sea never ceases to amaze us.

“This time we didn’t just find a wreck, we found a piece of our history.”