The Malaysian authorities have intercepted a Chinese vessel believed to be involved in plundering World War II shipwrecks.

The Malaysian coast guard detained the bulk carrier on Sunday for illegally anchoring off the coast of Johor State. The vessel is registered in China.

Officials say it was carrying metals and armaments suspected of having been taken from sunken British wartime ships, including the Repulse and the Prince of Wales. They say some of the ammunition is believed to be still dangerous.

The two warships were sent to the seas off the Malay Peninsula in late 1941 in a bid to stop a Japanese invasion of the area.
But the ships were sunk by planes of the Imperial Japanese Navy three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Local media say the Chinese ship may have been involved in similar looting in waters around Southeast Asia.

Experts say the goal is to extract metals from World War II-era ships. Such metals have properties of lower radiation, and can be used to make medical and scientific equipment. Some of them can fetch millions of dollars.