INCURSION” Philippine Coast Guard photo taken on Saturday shows China Coast Guard Vessel 5901, also known as “The Monster,” in the coastal waters of Zambales province before it began to move away that evening.
THE PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER | Published January 6, 2025
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sent one of its patrol ships and two aircraft to monitor China’s biggest coast guard ship after it was spotted off the coast of Zambales province on Saturday.
Dubbed “The Monster,” China Coast Guard (CCG) Vessel 5901 was sighted 100 kilometers (54 nautical miles) from Capones Island through Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection system, Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said in a statement he sent to reporters on Saturday night.
This prompted the PCG to deploy its BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409), along with a helicopter and Caravan aircraft, to verify the incursion and assert their presence, he added.
“The PCG vessel and aircraft continuously challenged the presence of the Chinese coast guard, emphasizing that it was operating within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in accordance with the Philippine Maritime Zones Law and Unclos,” Tarriela said, referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
As of Sunday, the Chinese vessel was approximately 120 to 130 km (65 to 70 nautical miles) from Zambales while the BRP Cabra kept watch.
“The PCG remains committed to closely monitoring this Chinese coast guard vessel to ensure that Filipino fishermen can operate safely and without harassment within our exclusive economic zone,” Tarriela said.
“The Monster” is also the world’s largest coast guard vessel at 12,000 tons. It arrived near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Jan. 1 to boost Beijing’s control over the maritime area, according to Ray Powell, director of the SeaLight project at Stanford University who tracks South China Sea activities through satellite imaging. Three other CCG ships and seven maritime militia vessels were also at the shoal.
Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc lies 222 km (120 nautical miles) from the mainland west of Luzon, well within the country’s EEZ.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.inquirer.net
RELATED: Presence of China monster ship in Zambales ‘a show of force’: analyst
China Coast Guard 5901, known as the “monster ship.” ABS-CBN/File
ABS-CBN NEWS | Published January 6, 2025
MANILA — An analyst on Sunday described the presence of the Chinese monster ship in Zambales as a “show of force,” saying this move aimed to intimidate the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Filipino fishermen as the year began.
The PCG confirmed the presence of China Coast Guard vessel 5901 by Saturday afternoon and BRP Cabra and the aircraft “continuously challenged the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard, emphasizing that it was operating within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in accordance with the Philippine Maritime Zones Law and UNCLOS.”
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Prof. Renato de Castro said the passage of China Coast Guard’s biggest vessel in Zambales waters wanted to show Beijing’s anger to Manila.
“Pinamumukha talaga sa atin ng China na talagang pikon at galit na sila sa atin sa Pilipinas. Kumbaga china-challenge na natin yung kanyang pananakop sa West Philippine Sea and South China Sea. Kumbaga pinaparating natin sa China na hindi tayo aatras sa kanyang pananakop,” said de Castro, who teaches international studies at the De La Salle University.
De Castro added that China could argue that this is an innocent passage in international waters.
“Umpisa pa lang ng taon ipinapakita sa atin: ‘Huwag niyo kaming hamunin, huwag niyo kaming pikunin kasi kaya namin kayong tapatan’ in fact durugin. Talagang show of force. Lantaran tayong dinuduro ng Tsina,” he said.
Meanwhile, Commodore Jay Tarriela said the monster ship had already left the area and was headed west. Despite this, their monitoring would continue.
“Wala siyang aggressive action na ginagawa. Hindi naman nag-carry out ng mga dangerous maneuvers or whatsoever,” said Tarriela, PCG’s spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea.
“Kapag lumapit na tayo sa kanya, it is also moving away. So I think the deployment of the PCG vessel and the PCG aircraft is an effective way to deter yung China Coast Guard from moving closer sa ating coastline,” he said.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.abs-cbn.com
Be the first to comment