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Category: vessel

  • China’s ‘monster’ ship shadows Philippine vessel at disputed shoal

    China’s largest coast guard vessel, known as ‘The Monster,’ was confronting a much smaller Philippine ship at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea on Thursday, satellite images showed.

    The imagery, obtained by Radio Free Asia from the earth imaging company Planet Labs, showed the 12,000-ton CCG5901, which is the world’s largest coast guard vessel, just 800 m (half a mile) from the Philippine coast guard vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua at Sabina Shoal.

    The low-tide elevation, called Escoda by the Philippines and Xianbin Jiao by China, is part of the Spratly islands and is well inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, or EEZ.

    It is 75 nautical miles (140 km) from the Philippine island of Palawan. An EEZ gives the coastal state exclusive access to natural resources in the waters and on the seabed.

    Philippines spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the situation at the Sabina Shoal, which China calls the Xianbin Reef.

    CCG5901 Sabina 1 Aug.jpg
    Chinese vessel CCG5901 was 800m from the BRP Teresa Magbanua at Sabina Shoal in the morning on Aug. 1, 2024. (RFA/Planet Labs)

    Philippine and Chinese coast guard units have for months been engaged in tense confrontations at another disputed feature, the Second Thomas Shoal, about 60 km (37 miles) to the west, leading to fears of conflict between China and U.S. ally the Philippines.  

    The 2,260-ton multi-role response vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua has been monitoring the Sabina Shoal area since April, the longest deployment by a Philippine coast guard vessel, after suspicions that China may have been attempting to reclaim land there. China denied that.

    China’s armed CCG5901, dubbed ‘The Monster’ for its size, has been in its vicinity since early July to conduct what China calls “legitimate law enforcement activities” but are seen by the Philippines  as intimidation.

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    ‘Justified operation’

    A Chinese defense ministry spokesperson said last month that the ship’s operations were “legitimate and justified.”

    The spokesperson, Senior Col. Zhang Xiaogang, accused the Philippine coast guard of violating China’s sovereignty by attempting to “transfer personnel and supplies to a coast guard ship illegally stationed at the Xianbin Reef in the South China Sea.”

    Zhang urged the Philippines to “withdraw its personnel and ships immediately.”

    The Philippines ignored the request. Besides the BRP Teresa Magbanua, two other coast guard ships have been deployed in the area on a rotational basis to monitor China’s activities.

    The Philippines said in May that China may be carrying out illegal island building at Sabina Shoal.

    Philippine coast guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said in a statement that crushed corals had been dumped on the shoal – which could be the first step in land reclamation. He also said it was “highly likely” that the maritime features were altered.

    China’s foreign ministry dismissed the accusation as “groundless and pure rumor.”

    Sabina shoal.jpg
    (Google Maps)

    China claims historic rights over most of the South China Sea and all the islands inside it despite protests by neighboring countries.

    An international arbitration tribunal in a case brought by the Philippines in 2016 ruled that China’s claims are unlawful but Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling.

    Edited by Mike Firn.


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Staff.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • China says Philippine vessel causes collision in South China Sea

    China said a Philippine supply vessel “dangerously” approached its ship near a disputed atoll in the South China Sea on Monday, causing a collision but the Philippines dismissed the complaint as “deceptive and misleading.”

    The Chinese coast guard said in a statement a supply ship from the Philippines “illegally intruded into the waters adjacent to Ren’ai Reef,” using the Chinese name for the Second Thomas Shoal. 

    The Philippines deliberately ran a World War II-era warship, the BRP Sierra Madre, aground on the shoal in 1999 to serve as a military outpost. It runs regular rotation and resupply missions to the shoal, known as Ayungin in the Philippines.

    The Chinese coast guard added the Philippine supply ship ignored its warnings, violated international regulations for preventing collisions at sea and “deliberately and dangerously” approached the Chinese vessel in an “unprofessional manner, resulting in a collision.”

    “The responsibility lies entirely with the Philippines,” it said.

    The Philippine military said in response that it would not discuss operational details of what it calls “legal humanitarian rotation and resupply mission” at the shoal.

    “We will not dignify the deceptive and misleading claims of the China coast guard,” it said in a statement, adding that the main issue remained “the illegal presence and actions of Chinese vessels” within the Philippines’ EEZ.

    The Chinese actions not only infringe the sovereignty and sovereign rights of the Philippines but also escalate tensions in the region, it stated.

    Tensions between China and the Philippines at the shoal have in recent months been the most serious in years in the South China Sea, where six parties hold overlapping claims with China’s claim the most expansive, including more than 80% of the waters.

    New order

    China has been blocking the Philippines’ efforts to bring supplies to the marines stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre, saying the voyages violate China’s jurisdiction despite the reef being located well inside Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

    In March, Chinese coast guard and maritime militia vessels were accused of firing a water cannon at a Philippine supply boat near the shoal, causing significant damage to the vessel and injuring its crew.

    It is unclear whether a water cannon was used in the Monday incident and what damage the alleged collision caused to the vessels involved.

    The Chinese coast guard has issued a new order, which became effective on June 15, that allows its force to detain foreign vessels and crew suspected of “trespassing” into Chinese-claimed waters.

    Edited by Taejun Kang. 


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Staff.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Palau says Chinese vessel slowed over undersea cable during incursion into waters

    A Chinese research vessel appeared to show interest in Palau’s undersea fiber optic cable during a days-long foray into the Pacific island country’s waters, a government official said.

    Palau, one of a handful of Pacific nations to recognize Taiwan rather than Beijing and an ally of the United States, has reported four unwanted incursions into its remote waters by Chinese research vessels since 2018. 

    “Clearly they [China] do not respect the rules-based order,” Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. said on Tuesday. Whipps said his government will send a diplomatic note to China’s embassy to the Federated States of Micronesia.

    The research vessel, Haiyang Dizhi Liuhao, entered Palau’s exclusive economic zone without providing any notification on the afternoon of May 24, according to Palau’s National Security Coordinator Jennifer Anson. 

    “It slowed to about 1-2 knots as it passed over Palau’s fiber optic cable. It continued with questionable maneuvers, passing about 45 nautical miles from Kayangel [Palau’s northernmost state and islands]. Attempts by the Joint Operation Center to contact the vessel via VHF radio were unsuccessful,” Anson said.

    Palau’s dozens of islands, between the Philippines and Guam, have a combined land area of about 189 square miles – 2.5 times the size of Washington D.C. – and an exclusive economic zone spanning some 238,000 square miles of ocean. 

    Under international law, nations have rights to economic exploitation of a 200 nautical mile zone around their land borders. The seas beyond a 12 nautical mile territorial zone are international waters so foreign vessels can pass through them. However unnotified research vessel activity in the exclusive economic zone could be perceived as an economic or security threat.

    Due to bad weather, Palau’s maritime security force couldn’t deploy its patrol boat or aircraft to intercept the Chinese vessel, according to the government. On Monday, the China-flagged ship appeared to be heading toward Micronesia.

    China’s embassy in Micronesia did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. 

    Island nations in the vast Pacific Ocean have become the focus of increased rivalry between China and the U.S.

    Growing Chinese influence.

    Beijing’s influence in the region has increased over several decades through a combination of trade, infrastructure and aid as it seeks to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, gain allies in international institutions and advance its economic and security interests.

    The U.S. has recently sought to reinforce its close relationships with Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall islands in the militarily strategic northwestern Pacific. It provides economic assistance to the three countries and has rights to military control of their territories under compacts of free association. 

    Palau, home to about 20,000 people, earlier this month signed an agreement for increased economic assistance from Washington. The U.S. military also plans to install over-the-horizon radar in Palau by 2026, adding to its early-warning capabilities for the western Pacific as China’s military strength increases.

    The previous incursion by a Chinese vessel into Palau’s waters was in July 2022 when the Yuan Wang 5 passed within 90 nautical waters of Palau’s southwestern islands. 

    Yuan Wang 5, which bristles with surveillance technology, has been described by China’s state media as mainly undertaking “maritime tracking, monitoring and communication tasks concerning rockets, satellites, spaceships and China’s space station.”

    Another research vessel, Da Yang Hao, stayed in Palau’s exclusive economic zone for seven days in December 2021. 

    “Conducting research without authorization and carrying out questionable activities within Palau’s waters threatens security and disregards sovereignty and rules-based order,” Anson said.

    BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service.


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By L.N. Reklai for BenarNews.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.