Chinese Salvage Vessel Caught Looting British World War II Shipwrecks

Malaysian authorities detained a Chinese-flagged cargo ship amid reports of salvaging of World War II shipwrecks in Malaysia's exclusive economic zone.
The ship was found with historic cannon shells and scrap metal believed to be from British battleships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, sunk in 1941.
The wrecks of the battleship and cruiser, sunk by Japanese planes, are war graves under British law.
Salvaging of World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific is an ongoing problem, and law around salvaging sunken warships is unclear.
The material from the warships could be valuable if smelted for sensitive equipment, authorities said.