Malaysia said Monday that it discovered cannon shells believed to be from World War II on a China-registered ship, which was detained over the weekend for anchoring in Malaysian waters without permission.
The bulk carrier ship, registered in Fuzhou, China, carried 32 crew members, including 21 Chinese, ten Bangladeshis, and a Malaysian. On Sunday, it failed to present anchoring permits during a routine inspection in Malaysian waters off the country’s southern Johor state, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said.
On further inspection, maritime authorities discovered scrap metal and cannon shells on the ship, which were believed to have been acquired via illegal salvage.
Such metal, commonly known as pre-war steel, is valuable and could be smelted for manufacturing some scientific and medical equipment.
Other Reports
The news comes amid similar reports this month, where “scavengers” looted two British World War II shipwrecks off the Malaysian coast– the HMS Prince of Wales and the HMS Repulse. Both vessels were sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1941, three days following the Pearl Harbor attack.
The shells discovered in the latest operation may be connected to a separate incident last week, when the Johor police last found multiple unexploded World War II-era artillery.
Authorities believe those may also have been scavenged from the HMS Prince of Wales. Malaysia’s National Heritage Department, the Malaysian Marine Department, and other agencies are coordinating to identify the ammunition found.
UK Response
The UK’s National Museum of the Royal Navy responded to the reports last week, saying that it was “distressed and concerned at the apparent vandalism for personal profit.”
Moreover, the British defence ministry condemned the “desecration” of maritime military graves.
Past Incidents
The shipwreck was not targeted for the first time.
In 2015, foreign treasure hunters used homemade explosives to detonate the heavy steel plates on the ships for easy pickings.
Around the same time, authorities detained a Vietnamese vessel involved in the looting of the wreckage.