Greek ship with Pinoy crew harassed by Chinese 'naval warship' near Scarborough Shoal

A Greek-owned oil tanker manned by Filipino crewmen was harassed by a Chinese vessel that introduced itself as a "naval warship" near Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal, according to the oil tanker's captain.

Interviewed by GMA News, Captain Manolo Ebora said the Chinese crew asked him to change his route and avoid passing through Scarborough. That time, September 30, the Liberia-flagged oil tanker Green Aura was en route to Longkou, China, and had been at sea for four days.

Ebora said when they came within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal at around 7:30 p.m., their Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) detected Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels nearby.

He said they were already near Scarborough when they received a radio call from a nearby vessel which introduced itself as a Chinese "naval warship."

"Nakuha ko sa communication dahil nai-video ko nga, hindi naman sinabi nila na Coast Guard kundi Chinese warship," Ebora said, adding the communication from the other ship got him "worried."

"Siyempre ikaw ang sabihan ng navy warship, para din dito sa lugar natin, sa Pilipinas. [Pag sinabi] pulis ako, siyempre magwo-worry ka."

The Chinese ship, which was only one of four, then ordered Green Aura to stay 10 nautical miles away from the shoal, to which Ebora said he obliged.

Ebora was able to record their conversation through his smartphone.

At one point, Ebora said, the Chinese vessel seemed to be attempting to block Green Aura's passage.

"Nag-cross yun sa akin, talagang humarang siya sa tapat ko, para niya akong inaalis so siyempre kapag tumigil siya dun, iiwas ako," he said.

The Chinese ship, however, did not block Green Aura's way.

"Alam din niya sigurong mali yung ginagawa niya. Nagtuloy siya so nagtuloy din ako," Ebora said.

Throughout their conversation, Ebora insisted that Scarborough Shoal belongs to the Philippines.

Ebora said there were at least five Chinese ships detected by the ECDIS, four of which registered under the Chinese Coast Guard or Zhongguo Haijing, which means China Maritime Police.

But one vessel whose identity could not be detected could have meant that its Automatic Identification System (AIS) was turned off, according to Ebora.

"Puwedeng patay yung AIS niya para hindi siya ma-detect, pero ang nakapagtataka dalawa kasi yun. Yung isa coast guard mag-cross. Yung isa, yung walang pangalan, mag-cross din. Hindi ko alam kung sino yung tumatawag [sa amin] o palitan sila," he said.

The incident took more than an hour, Ebora said, adding he did not see any Philippine ships in the area.

The following day, Ebora reported the incident to the Philippine Navy, which he said promised to look into the matter as soon as possible.

Verification needed

Interviewed in Thailand, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said they are withholding comment until the incident has been verified by the military.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), for its part, said it is looking  into the incident. "We will verify the facts of the incident then relevant offices will make the appropriate recommendations," it said when sought for comment.

Similar harassment by Chinese naval authorities in Philippine-claimed areas in the South China Sea had prompted the Aquino administration to file a case before a United Nations tribunal, which in ruled in favor of the Philippines.

China, whose massive claim to the resource-rich South China Sea has been invalidated by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, does not recognize the ruling and refused to participate in the proceedings. --KBK, GMA News