Firm plundered Tanjung Tuan wreck over past two years

PETALING JAYA: The firm involved in the illegal salvage of shipwrecks off Penang has also scooped up more than RM20mil worth of scrap material from another wreckage in Negri Sembilan.

The Star’s probe into the illegal salvage activities showed the company had taken scrap metal and billets from the wreckage near Cape Rachado, off Tanjung Tuan in Negri Sembilan over the past two years.

Aside from removing scrap metal from shipwrecks in the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea, the Subang Jaya-based company was also involved in salvaging billets, metal products, sunken treasures and artefacts from older wrecks that had sunk in the cape.

Indergith Singh, personal assistant to Tunku Datuk Kamil Ikram, who was given the rights to salvage MV Vikraman, which sunk in the cape in September 1997, and to recover the billets from the vessel, said the firm had plundered the assets while they were applying for the power of attorney from PE Global, the ship’s insurer, to recover the goods.

MV Vikraman was carrying RM40mil worth of billets and metal products when the ship broke into two after colliding with another vessel. In the incident, 29 on board the India-resistered ship perished.

Indergith said they finally received the power of attorney from the Kuala Lumpur High Court on April 7.

“However, the billets from the shipwreck had been illegally removed since July last year by the company.”

He said they had lodged two police reports over the illegal activities carried out by the salvage company. Police confirmed the reports had been lodged.

Indergith said the company had sold the RM20mil loot to a smelting plant in Klang.

Yatim De Valda, a historian, said he had worked with the Subang Jaya-based company to identify 37 wrecks off the same coast in 2012 but decided to leave when he found the company did not have proper documents.

He said he left when the company removed scrap metal from a commercial British SS Straits Steamer ship, which sank after being torpedoed by the Japanese Imperial Navy in 1941.

The commercial ship was carrying British families fleeing Singapore when the war broke out as Japanese soldiers invaded Malaya.

The number of casualties on the ship was unknown but Yatim, who had dived at the wreck, found old bottles and clothing for children and babies in the wreck.

Yatim, who was a former airline pilot, said there were 37 archaeological shipwrecks sited at Cape Rachardo, some dating as far back as the 16th century and more than 20 commercial vessels and warships that had sunk during World War II and more recently.

Officials from the Subang Jaya-based firm declined to comment when contacted by The Star.

It is understood the Marine De­­partment had obtained a court order to detain the skipper and the nine Chinese nationals who had operated Hai Wei Gong 889, which was used to salvage at least five shipwrecks, including two Japanese war ships, off Penang waters.

Yesterday, The Star reported that Hai Wei Gong 889 had been detained and impounded by the northern region Marine Depart­ment.

The ship was held while carrying out salvage work off Pulau Kendi on Tuesday evening. The Chinese-made, Cambodian-registered ship is now impounded in Lumut.