Posted on May 31, 2023
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Tuesday (30 May) reportedly said it has detained a China-registered dredge barge believed to have been scavenging for World-War 2-era (WW2) shipwrecks in the region, according to the New Straits Times.
The shipwrecks were identified to be from the remains of Royal Navy ships HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales that sank on 10 December 1941 after the ships were attacked and sunk by aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Johor MMEA also reportedly said the authorities were investigating if there was a ‘mothership’ anchored outside of Malaysian waters where the dredge barge may be offloading the stolen goods.
New Straits Times also reported that the vessel is allegedly wanted by the Indonesia authorities for stealing wrecks of Dutch warships in the Java Sea.
In a separate statement on 29 May, MMEA said it detained a vessel carrying scrap metal and artillery shells in the waters off east Johor on 28 May. The barge was found when it anchored illegally at 20.1 nautical miles east of Tanjung Siang.
“Further inspections has led to the discovery of old steel and the shells suspected to be linked to an unexploded ordnance case in Tanjung Belungkor here on 19 May,” it said.
MMEA added it will cooperate with police, Malaysian Marine Department and the National Heritage Department to identify if the cannon shells were from WW2.
The ship was operated by 32 male crew including a Captain. The crew consisted of 21 Chinese nationals, 10 Bangladeshis and one Malaysian aged between 23 to 57 years.
Meanwhile, the National Museum of the Royal Navy said it was “distressed and concerned at the apparent vandalism for personal profit of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse”.
“They are designated war graves. We are upset at the loss of naval heritage and the impact this has on the understanding of our Royal Navy history,” Professor Dominic Tweddle, Director General of The National Museum of the Royal Navy said in a statement on 24 May.
“What we need is a management strategy for the underwater naval heritage so that we can better protect or commemorate these ships. That may include targeted retrieval of objects.”
The museum said the sinking of the ships ended with the loss of 842 men, in what was “one of the worst disasters in British naval history”.
The BBC on 27 May reported UK’s Ministry of Defence condemning the “desecration” of maritime military graves following reports of scavengers targeting HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse wrecks, surfaced.
“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,” a spokesman from the ministry was quoted by the news outlet.
