On 29th May, Malaysia’s maritime authorities said that cannon shells believed to be from World War Two have been found on a China-registered bulk carrier ship detained for anchoring in its waters without permission.
According to Reuters, this month scavengers have targeted two British World War Two wrecks off the coast of Malaysia – the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse – which were sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1941, just three days after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
As explained, a ship registered in Fuzhou, China and carrying 32 crew failed to present anchoring permits during a routine inspection in waters off Malaysia’s southern Johor state on Sunday, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said.
Authorities found scrap metal and cannon shells on the ship upon further checks.
The shells could be linked to a separate seizure by police at a Johor jetty last week of multiple unexploded World War Two-era artillery.
