Malaysia seizes Chinese vessel suspected of looting metal from British WW2 warship grave

Malaysia has detained a Chinese vessel accused of looting two British World War 2 era shipwrecks. Malaysian authorities were tipped off by fishermen and divers last month about the presence of a foreign vessel off the Malaysian coast in the South China Sea.

On Sunday, the Chinese bulk carrier was seized off Malaysia's southern Johor state. It had anchored there illegally, and the crew on board, including 21 Chinese nationals, 10 Bangladeshis and one Malaysian, was looting scrap metal and cannon shells from the war grave.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) chief in the region, Nurul Hizam Zakaria, said they were investigating where these shells originated from. He said, “Our investigation is now directed to where these cannon shells originated from. Right now, we have officers from multi-agencies searching the big ship."

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History of the naval war grave in the South China Sea

The scrap is believed to be from the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, which were sunk in 1941 by Japanese torpedoes days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. A total of 842 sailors died in the attack, making it one of the deadliest naval tragedies of the Allied forces in World War 2.

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The ship wreckage has been targeted by scavengers for decades for the rare“pre-war steel” or low-background steel. As per the BBC, the low radiation in the steel makes it a rare and valuable resource for use in medical and scientific equipment.

UK condemns “discretion” of military graves

The UK’s Ministry of Defence last week condemned the looting of ship wreckage by the Chinese vessel. A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence in London said: "We strongly condemn any desecration of any maritime military grave."

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The official added, "Where we have evidence of desecration of the wrecks of Royal Navy vessels, we will take appropriate action, including working with regional governments and partners to prevent inappropriate activity at such sites."

Not happening for the first time

Looting of the ship wreckage from the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse war graves is not happening for the first time. Similar reports also emerged in 2017, following which the UK authorities proposed a joint investigation with Malaysian and Indonesian authorities against scavengers targeting British warship graves in the South China Sea.

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