SHAH ALAM: China grab dradger MV Chuan Hong 68 suspected of plundering World War 2 shipwrecks in South East Asia, has been detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA, in the waters off Tanjung Hantu, Perak on July 1.
It must be noted that Tanjung Hantu is the location where the location where the Army annually conduct rocket firing exercise for its Rocket Artillery Brigade. The last exercise was conducted on May 30.
According to the MMEA, the ship did not have proper documentation and port clearance when boarded and inspected. During inspection, the ship was also found with 60 LPG cylinders worth RM9,000 in contravention of the Control Supplies Act 1961.
The dredger made headlines last year as 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, the authorities have yet to release the investigation into the dredger’s activities in Malaysian waters. It is likely nothing happened as the ship is still trawling our waters without any documentation.
The release from MMEA:
๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ข๐จ, ๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ก ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐.
๐๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ง, ๐ฎ ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐ถ โ Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (Maritim Malaysia) Negeri Perak dengan kerjasama Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) telah menahan sebuah kapal korek pasir di kedudukan 14.8 batu nautika barat laut Tanjung Hantu, Perak sekitar jam 3.10 petang semalam.
Pengarah Maritim Negeri Perak, Kepten Maritim Mohamad Shukri bin Khotob berkata, kapal korek pasir yang bernama Chuan Hong 68 yang berdaftar di Fuzhou, China itu dikesan ketika sedang bersauh oleh pasukan operasi KD LAKSAMANA TUN ABDUL JAMIL TLDM.
Hasil maklumat itu, BOT TEMPUR TLDM bersama pasukan menggeledah Maritim Malaysia yang sedang melaksanakan operasi di perairan negeri Perak telah diatur gerak ke lokasi dan berjaya menahan kapal tersebut.
Pemeriksaan mendapati, kapal korek itu dikendalikan oleh seorang nakhoda dibantu oleh 47 kru kesemuanya terdiri daripada 20 kru warga China, 26 kru warga Bangladesh dan seorang kru warga tempatan dalam lingkungan umur 21 hingga 68 tahun.
Pemeriksaan lanjut mendapati, kapal korek itu didapati gagal mengemukakan dokumen asal kapal, ‘Port Clearance’ dan seorang kru tiada dalam senarai nama kru kapal.
Dalam pada itu, hasil pemeriksaan lanjut telah menemukan sebanyak 60 tong gas memasak LPG (14 kilogram per unit) berwarna kuning tanpa dokumen yang sah daripada Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna (KPDN) berada di atas kapal itu dengan nilai rampasan dianggarkan berjumlah RM9,000.
Kes disiasat di bawah Ordinan Perkapalan Saudagar (MSO) 1952 kerana gagal mengemukakan dokumen asal kapal, Port Clearance, dan seorang kru tiada dalam senarai nama kru kapal serta Akta Kawalan Bekalan 1961 kerana tiada dokumen yang sah.
Kesemua kru bersama kapal ditahan bagi tujuan siasatan dan tindakan lanjut.
Maritim Malaysia menegaskan kepada komuniti maritim agar sentiasa mematuhi undang-undang yang ditetapkan bagi mengelakkan tindakan diambil.
Sebarang laporan, aduan dan insiden kecemasan di laut, orang ramai boleh menghubungi Maritim Malaysia di talian Pusat Operasi Maritim Negeri Perak di talian 05-6838737 atau MERS 999 untuk maklum balas segera.
RMN corvette, KD Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil was the first to locate the dredger.
— Malaysian Defence
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Surely they can now impound the ship. Our laws are so weak. Itโs the second time this ship has broken the law..
Since war shipwrecks are relating to British & Japanese warships, these are considered their war graves and thus these countries ought to also be responsible for their own dead. GB, Japan, & Msia could use this reason to come out a permanent joint patrols which not only would deter these grave robbers but also indirectly keep CCG/PLAN at bay from the area. Such a act would serve the interest for all, both the past, and present future.
”but also indirectly keep CCG/PLAN at bay from the area.”
Which is why the Brits might not want to go along with the idea; even if the could. They are very stretched. There is also the fact that there are no war graves in the Spratlys.
Another issue is that neither Britain, Australia or New Zealand have ever expressed any wish for the FPDA to cover East Malaysia because our Spratlys claims extend from there and because of the Sabah claim by the Philippines. HQIADS only covers West Malaysia and there has never been a FPDA exercise in East Malaysia.
There is also another angle. We do not want outside involvement as it complicates things and gives other countries the pretext to intervene; i.e. when the USS Montgomery and HMAS Parramatta were near the West Capella in 2019 we did not welcome their presence. We worry that getting others involve will not only harden China’s stance [like what’s happened with the Philippines] and also lead to the issue spiralling with us caught in the middle.
It’s also widely believed that the reason we’ve displayed a reluctance for others to get involved is because we have an unwritten agreement with the Chinese; both sides doing certain things as part of the game but both sides not doing anything that would upset the balance. As an academic points out; we make a profound distinction between actions which directly threaten the countryโs core interests/security [i.e. the Confrontation or a reef being physically seized] and alter the status quo and day to day tactical actions such as intrusions in the maritime zone which concerns us and is something we react to but also tolerate. The reason we maintain close ties with the U.S. and Australia; are a FPFDA member [which we value] and take part in multilateral exercises is insurance against the possibility of actions which directly threaten the countryโs core interests/security; as opposed to day to day tactical actions such as intrusions in the EEZ.
What is there to be plundered
War graves plenty of them around the region.
If the Brits arent going to care their war dead underwater, then why should we? I rather than risk further breach of our waters, better we legally hire a scrap collector to clear out the sea bed of these wrecks. We could possibly repatriate remains back to GB or else give them a sea funeral. This would at least deter these illegal collector coming here again.
As long as the wreck remains there will be money to be made so even if shoo them for good, we have no guarantee this issue wont crop up in 10, 20, 50 years from now. By then high tech scraper ROVs long tethered to boats in international waters would circumvent legal loopholes, how are we to detect & stop them? Might as well take them out and be done with it.
Qamarul – ”What is there to be plundered”
Seriously? Metal [lots of it as W2 ships are armoured], brass, etc.
”If the Brits arent going to care their war dead underwater, then why should we?”
Same reason we cooperate wholeheartedly in taking care of Commonwealth cemeteries. Same reason we help whenever remains are discovered and repatriated. Our waters; our sovereign land; out care of duty to safeguard what’s in it.
”better we legally hire a scrap collector to clear out the sea bed of these wrecks. ”
And expose ourselves to the diplomatic fall out? Never mind the morality issues; why risk ourselves to the fall out and the ill will it brings along with it?
“What is there to be plundered”
The stainless steel on WW2 era battleships/cruisers are of very high quality, even better than those used in modern warships. Or so I am told based on documentary I watched somewhere either Youtube or History Channel.
There are relics that I imagined will fetch a high price on the black market. There are people collecting war memoribilia
ASM – โThere are people collecting war memoribiliaโ
Iโm a militaria collector but even if I had evidence as to its providence I would never buy something taken from the wreck of the Repulse or Prince of Wales. I have bought small bits of aircraft shot down in Ukraine and bits and bobs taken from a friend in the Falklands during a visit but those are legal.
Anyway, not generally known is that one of the last IJN ships sunk was a cruiser in the Melaka Straits.
“in taking care of Commonwealth cemeteries”
Not the same. The British Govt do pay a sum for their maintenance. But not the sunken ones.
“diplomatic fall out?”
What diplomatic fallout if they dont give a ratshit at all? They would rather be happy to finally received those lost and bury them back in their home soil. You cant say you care about security of your home but not pay a single sen for security, right? And Id rather not risk the fall out & ill will anyhow if we cannot guarantee the Chinese will not cart it away bit by bit in 10, 20 or 50 years. As I said, when there is money to be made its inevitable. If GB really cares and not want to worry ever again, just entomb them in concrete domes.
Morally there are no love lost. They were here then as colonisers and they fought & died protecting their Rule Britannia interests not the interests & safety of Malayans.
โWhat diplomatic fallout if they dont give a ratshit atโ
Who says there donโt give a shit? With so many war graves around the world theyโd hardly be expected to safeguard each and every one. Itโs also not as if foreign ships are in our waters on a regular basis and in large numbers doing illegal salvage work. If there werenโt RN wrecks; theyโd be salvaging other wrecks.
As for the โfall outโ us doing what you suggest [which weโd never do] would lead to major friction and condemnation not only from them but from others. The wrecks are in our waters; itโs our care of duty to safeguard them; as much as we would anything else. The wrecks also technically donโt belong to us even thought theyโre are in our waters. We also place value in being part of the Commonwealth; whether we actually benefit is another story.
There is also the matter of the FPDA. In addition to enabling joint cooperation; often unrealised is it provides us with strategic ambiguity; one reason why we see so much value in it. A potential aggressor would always have to factor in British [and Australian] involvement; plus the fact that British is a NATO country; a member of AUKUS and since WW2 has has a special relationship with the U.S.
โthey were here thenโ
Doesnโt change the fact that British and Commonwealth fought and died. Separate the politics from the soldiers. Also, we were not a colony when the Confrontation was declared and when Britain anf the Commonwealth did all it could to help defend us. During a period when Britain was focused on Europe; a large part of its military was here. The concentration of RN ships in our waters was the largest since the Korean War. We may have been independent but they were to all intents and purposes running and financing the war. And thereโs also the diplomatic support. Sure they did it for their own interests but we benefited.