KUALA LUMPUR: Authorities have found at least 100 artillery shells, believed to be still live, on the China-owned vessel seized at the Tanjung Sedili Maritime Zone on Saturday.
Johor Maritime director First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said the operation was conducted after they had found cannon shells believed to be from the World War 2 era.
In a statement today, the discovery of the ammunition was a joint effort by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the police and the National Heritage Department.
"The operation began at 8am and ended at about 4pm, involving two MMEA assets with 15 officers and members, 12 Johor police bomb disposal unit personnel, seven from the National Heritage Department and one from the Malaysian Marine Department.
"All artillery of different sizes have been seized and taken by the bomb disposal unit to be detonated.
"A further report on the discovery will be issued by the police.
"MMEA does not discount the possibility that this ship, which is registered in Fuzhou, China, is the same ship that was involved in the plundering of British shipwrecks in Pahang," he said.