"Reporting" Equates Neither with Responsibility or Legality

Andy Brockman reports ('[...] New Military Wrecks Scandal', The pipeline February 4, 2018):

Divers claim that at least some of the activity has been authorised by and reported to the Dutch Heritage Agency, but it is believed few, if any, of the recoveries were authorised by the British or German authorities as the actual owners of the vessels concerned.