Shows the large ship with the crane and tugboat directly above the wreck of the Katori Maru.
Photo taken by Azizie Nasir
KUCHING: A recent sighting of a large ship and crane at the site of one of the state’s historical Japanese WWII shipwrecks off the coast of Santubong has raised concerns that it may have been targetted by metal salvagers.
Eyewitness Azizie Nasir, 24, told The Borneo Post that he sighted the ship accompanied by a tugboat on March 5 positioned on waters above the Katori Maru shipwreck as he was bringing a group of anglers on a fishing trip on his boat close to dusk.
He managed to get close enough to take a picture of the two boats with his camera phone.
“When they saw the flashlight from my camera phone, they shouted at me not to take photos, and shut off all their lights. They quickly packed up their equipment and left about an hour later. I was not able to follow them,” he said.
He noticed a large pile of scrap metal on the ship’s deck. He was unable to spot any identifying marks or registration numbers on the boats because the fading light and rough sea conditions prevented his boat from getting closer. That was the first time he had seen such a large boat away from normal shipping routes.
“It’s unusual to see such a big ship out there, right above where the shipwreck is. Even fishing boats that use dragnets stay away as there are underwater obstructions which can damage their nets.
“I have made more than 30 trips to this area and this is the first time I see such a large ship,” he said.
The Borneo Post was tipped off about the suspicious sighting after photos of the large ship began surfacing on social media channels.
When contacted via telephone, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak chief First Admiral Ismaili Bujang Pit confirmed that a report had been lodged with them on March 7 and that the agency was investigating the matter.
“We sent one of our teams to investigate but they were prevented from reaching the site by rough seas. When they finally arrived, they could not locate the strange ship. We also received a report that a similar ship was spotted in Tanjung Manis and we have a team on the ground investigating this,” he told The Borneo Post by telephone.
“If the allegations are true, it’s a very serious incident and we will not hesitate to go after the perpetrators,” he added.
He urged the public to report sightings of strange ships and activities with the agency’s 24-hour hotline 082 432544.
Meanwhile, Cultural and Heritage Assistant Minister Liwan Lagang said he was aware of the matter and was waiting for the report from MMEA.
“The museum can work with relevant agencies to declare the wreck a heritage site. I will discuss the procedure with my staff tomorrow (today),” the assistant minister replied via SMS when asked to comment.
The Katori Maru is one of three WWII Japanese shipwrecks identified in the state. Together with the other two shipwrecks, namely the Hiyoshi Maru and destroyer Sagiri, it was used during the Japanese invasion and subsequently sunk by Dutch submarines as they were heading to Kuching.
The Katori Maru and Hiyoshi Maru are popular diving sites due to their easy accessibility and diversity of marine life which have made the shipwrecks their home. However, their accessibility has been a double-edged sword as on Sept 14, 2013, The Borneo Post reported that the Katori Maru and Hiyoshi Maru were being plundered of historical and cultural artifacts by unscrupulous divers and treasure seekers.
In March last year, a national daily reported that 12 foreigners had been detained for salvaging copper items from two sunken WWII British warships HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales near Tioman Island about 55 nautical miles from the mouth of Sungai Pahang.