via New Straits Times, 25 June 2023: It turns out that the the Chinese vessel MV Chuan Hong 68, suspected of plundering World War 2 shipwrecks, was previously caught looting shipwrecks in Malaysia and Indonesia. Despite this, it was allowed to enter Malaysian waters and its previous records have been expunged.
THE investigation into a China-registered vessel suspected of plundering World War 2 shipwrecks in the region has taken a turn, with the focus now on how it was allowed to enter Malaysian waters despite its “bad reputation”.
MV Chuan Hong 68, a grab dredger, was detained 20.1 nautical miles east of Tanjung Siang on May 28 for illegally anchoring in Johor waters.
It was suspected of plundering the wrecks of British warships HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales that sank in Malaysian waters in 1941.
However, investigators are now probing as to how the vessel was permitted to enter Malaysian waters.
