Malaysia detains Chinese ship suspected of looting British WWII wrecks
A pre-war cannon shell was found on the Chinese ship (Picture: AFP)
A Chinese ship has been detained on suspicion of looting British World War II shipwrecks.
Malaysias maritime agency says it suspects the bulk carrier ship of looting from two shipwrecks in the South China Sea, which are designated as war graves.
Its believed the wrecks of the HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales were targeted.
They were both sunk in 1941 by Japanese torpedoes days after the attack on Pearl Harbour and 842 sailors perished.
The UKs National Museum of the Royal Navy said it was distressed and concerned at the apparent vandalism for personal profit.
Fisherman and divers alerted the authorities after spotting a foreign vessel in the area last month.
The Malaysian maritime agency says the vessel, registered in Fuzhou, China, was detained for anchoring without a permit off southern Johor state.
They found a cannon shell, believed to be from World War II, on board, and its believed to be linked to the police seizure of dozens of unexploded artillery and other relics at a scrapyard in Johor.
The Chinese vessel has been detained (Picture: MALAYSIAN MARITIME ENFORCEMENT/AFP via Getty Images)
Scrap metal was also found (Picture: AP)
A controlled explosion destroyed the weapons, which are believed to have originated from the British warships.
Officials from Malaysias heritage department will work alongside other agencies to identify the cannon shell.
Known as pre-war steel, material from the two war graves are very valuable and could be used in manufacturing of scientific and medical equipment.
It is not the first time that the two shipwrecks have been targeted.
The New Straits Times reported that foreign treasure hunters used homemade explosives in 2015 to detonate the heavy steel plates on the ships for easy pickings.
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Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at 10:14 am