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British warships being raided for scrap metal
[NEWS.SKY] British ships sunk during the Second World War have been plundered for scrap metal, according to a report.The 10 ships are designated as war graves and lie off the coasts of Malaysia and Indonesia, where they contain the graves of more than 1,000 sailors. But a Mail On Sunday report says they have been raided by Chinese pirates in recent years, with their structures looted and the remains of fallen war heroes disturbed. Previous reports have also blamed operators from Vietnam and Thailand. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the government "absolutely condemns" the unauthorised disturbance of any wreck containing human remains. "I am very concerned to hear any allegations of incidents of Royal Navy wrecks being plundered in the Far East," he said. "We will work closely with the Indonesian and Malaysian governments to investigate these claims." The Royal Navy Admiral-class battlecruiser HMS Hood as viewed from the forcastle of the Renown-class battlecruiser HMS Repulse and her 42-calibre BL 15-inch Mk I guns from the forward A and B turrets whilst on patrol in the North Sea on 1 September 1939 The newspaper said that the operations were being carried out by Chinese-owned barges which drop massive anchors on the sunken ship to smash it. They send down long cranes to collect the metal, which is taken to Indonesian scrapyards and cut into smaller pieces. It is then taken to China and enters the world steel market. According to an Australian diving expert quoted in the report, the metal haul from each ship can fetch more than £1m and the Indonesian government estimates there are hundreds of military shipwrecks off its coast. But the plundering of the wrecks is against the UN International Salvaging Convention and also breaches the laws of Britannia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Posted by: Fred 2018-08-19 |
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