Malaysia detains Chinese ship suspected of looting British WW2 wrecks

Malaysia has detained a Chinese-registered vas suspected of looting 2 British World War Two shipwrecks.

The bulk bearer was seized connected Sunday for anchoring illegally astatine the tract successful the South China Sea.

Ammunition believed to beryllium from the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, which were sunk by Japanese forces much than 80 years ago, was past recovered connected board.

For years the historical wrecks person been targeted by scavengers for scrap metal. Their resting tract is connected the furniture of the South China Sea, immoderate 100km (60 miles) disconnected the eastbound seashore of Malaysia.

The Royal Navy battleships, dispatched to Singapore successful WW2 to enactment up the defence of Malaya, were sunk by Japanese torpedoes connected 10 December 1941.

The onslaught - which occurred conscionable 3 days aft the onslaught connected the US fleet successful Pearl Harbour - killed immoderate 842 sailors and is considered 1 of the worst disasters successful British naval history.

Fishermen and divers archetypal reported the beingness of the overseas vas to Malaysia authorities past month.

Local maritime constabulary detained the Chinese vessel connected Sunday. The ship, registered successful Fuzhou, had 32 unit connected board, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said successful a statement.

Cannon shells "suspected to beryllium from World War Two" were uncovered during a hunt of the vessel. Malaysian agencies are besides investigating the provenance of the ammunition.

The MMEA added that it is linked to a cache of unexploded artillery, said to beryllium from the 2 sunken vessels, that constabulary seized from a backstage scrap gait successful the confederate authorities of Johor earlier this month.

In 2017, during a circuit of Malaysia, a section diver showed the past Prince Charles images that documented harm to the HMS Prince of Wales inflicted by scavengers.

The Defence Secretary astatine the clip responded by saying the UK would enactment with Malaysian and Indonesian governments to analyse claims that up to six British warships had been plundered successful their waters.