Another Chinese vessel seen near Zambales coast as PCG deploys new ship

Another China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel moved near the Zambales coast on Tuesday as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) replaced its deployed ship monitoring the Chinese presence in the area.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the PCG replaced BRP Gabriela Silang with BRP Suluan, a 44-meter multi-role and response vessel.

“In a significant development early this morning, CCG-3304 was replaced by another Chinese vessel, bow number 3103,” he said.

“Although this new vessel is smaller than its predecessor, it measures 77.7 meters in length and 10.4 meters in width, making it still larger than the 44-meter BRP Suluan,” he added.

Despite challenging sea conditions with wave heights of two to three meters, BRP Suluan was still able to keep close monitoring of CCG 3103 and prevented it from approaching the Zambales coastline, Tarriela said.

“Furthermore, the PCG vessel has aggressively radio-challenged CCG-3103, asserting that its illegal presence violates the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” he added.

As of 9 p.m., CCG 3304 was around 105 nautical miles from Zambales, approaching Bajo de Masinloc at a distance of 28 nautical miles, Tarriela said.

CCG 3103 continued its “illegal” patrol off the coast of Zambales around 76 nautical miles from Pundaquit, Zambales, the PCG official added.

Monster ship

Meanwhile, Tarriela said the CCG 5901, also known as the monster ship, moved further away from the Zambales coast but was still inside the 200 nautical miles of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Bajo de Masinloc.

“As of 9 PM this evening, current monitoring by the PCG indicates that the vessel commonly referred to as the ‘monster ship,’ CCG-5901, is now 113 nautical miles away from Zambales but remains within the EEZ at a distance of 19 nautical miles from BDM,” he said.

“The Philippine Coast Guard remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the country's maritime interests and upholding international law without escalating tensions,” he added.  

The Philippines earlier filed a diplomatic protest and called on China to withdraw its monster ship from Philippine waters.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun defended their ship's intrusion inside Philippine territory.

"We have responded to similar questions multiple times. Let me reiterate that China’s sovereignty and rights and interests in the South China Sea were established in the long course of history, and are solidly grounded in history and the law and compliant with the international law and practice," the official said.

Guo maintained the CCG "conducts patrols and law enforcement activities in relevant waters in accordance with the law, which is fully justified."

"We call on the Philippines once again to immediately stop all infringement activities, provocations and false accusations, and stop all its actions that jeopardize peace and stability and complicate the situation in the South China Sea," he added.

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has not recognized the decision. —KG, GMA Integrated News