Satellite images show expanse of Chinese vessels in Spratlys

An analysis of a recent satellite imagery showing Chinese vessels loitering in the Spratlys suggests the expanse of China's fishing activities in the West Philippine Sea, according to  Washington-based think tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI).

In a report entitled "Illuminating the South China Sea’s Dark Fishing Fleets" published Wednesday, AMTI director Gregory Poling wrote about "the massive presence of vessels" in and around two of largest China’s outposts at the Subi and Mischief Reefs.

The report presented data obtained with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology, which provides an approximate count of vessels at a given time and location.

Poling said "Two passes over Subi in August revealed 117 SAR returns within the reef’s lagoon and another 61 in waters nearby, including around Philippine-occupied Thitu Island just over 12 nautical miles away."

The analysis found that, later in October, two passes showed an "even larger but more dispersed number" of returns, with 19 in the lagoon and 190 in waters nearby.

'Not fishing' in Spratlys

Meanwhile, the AMTI said an analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery showed that "Chinese fishing ships account for the largest number of vessels operating in the Spratlys by far."

According to Poling, the imagery "shows that the numbers of fishing vessels at Subi and Mischief Reefs are even higher than SAR would suggest."

He explained that this was because they "often tie up side by side in large groups, which appear to be a single vessel in SAR."

Citing historical imagery, Poling noted that numbers of Chinese ships at Subi and Mischief were "much higher" in 2018 than in 2017.

"In August, which appears to have been the busiest month, there were about 300 ships anchored at the two reefs at any given time," he said.

The analysis also found that the Chinese fishing boats captured in imagery are "riding at anchor or transiting without fishing" in almost every case.

"Occasionally, imagery revealed a falling net vessel, a common type of Chinese ship observed, engaged in fishing, but such instances were rare," he said.

Note to claimants

The AMTI director emphasized that the fisheries and fishers of the South China Sea "warrant much more attention."

"The disputes over the islands, reefs, and waters in the area have made effective fisheries management impossible even as a calamitous stock collapse threatens livelihoods around the region," Poling said.

He also noted that "improving the monitoring of these fleets will be critical if the claimants hope to save the South China Sea fisheries and reduce the frequency of unlooked-for incidents between vessels."

In conclusion, Poling stressed that "the numbers of militia vessels operating in the area on behalf of China is much larger and more persistent than is generally understood."

"Experts and policymakers focused on the South China Sea will need to devote a proportionate amount of their attention to these actors and the role they play in the area," he added. —LDF, GMA News