Aloha:
Boatpoker is absolutely right. Being right is a habit he has :-)!
It is not really "readership advice" you want :-)! What you want is
LEGAL advice. I am not a lawyer, so verify what I say with the authorities in your country of domicile/nationality!
What you want is proof of present ownership of the vessel. The Norwegian
registration documents will give you the
legal owner's name, although not necessarily his present whereabouts. Title to the boat can only pass to you if the
documentation of the sale is "executed" (meaning "signed") by the present titleholder, by his properly appointed agent (if he be alive) of by the executor of his estate if he be dead. In this last case the transaction must be completed before the estate is legally "wound up".
PROVIDED you can show proper assumption of title to the boat there will be no difficulty in cancelling the Norwegian registration and having the boat registered in your country of domicile. If you cannot show proper assumption of title you will NOT be able to do those two things.
As the vessel is in Malaysia you need to be very, very careful. If I were in your shoes, I would not proceed without competent representation IN MALAYSIA. You should not IMO proceed on an expectation that Malaysian law, Malaysian
commercial practice and Malaysian ethics are identical to the ones to which you are accustomed in your present country of domicile. You should NOT, IMO, give
money to anyone representing himself as the owner of the vessel or as agent for the owner until you've tested the legitimacy of such a claim.
Perhaps best to look for a vessel elsewhere?
All the best
TrentePieds