THE “monster ship” of the China Coast Guard (CCG) has left the coastline of Zambales but was replaced by another ship, maintaining its “illegal presence” in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday
The PCG also said a helicopter of the Chinese navy on Monday hovered above its ship BRP Cabra which has been monitoring the movement of the 12,000-ton CCG 5901 “The Monster,” considered the world’s largest coast guard vessel.
The Monster was first spotted on Saturday some 54 nautical miles off Capones Island in Zambales. Its presence was reported by US maritime expert Raymond Powell who said the ship was conducting an “intrusive patrol” to assert China’s jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said in a statement yesterday that the monster ship “has departed from the coastline of Zambales and is now approximately 90 nautical miles offshore.”
However, Tarriela said the PCG monitored another Chinese vessel, CCG 3103, “heading directly to the previous location of the monster ship.” He said the vessel left Guangdong, China last Tuesday.
Tarriela said CCG 3103 was detected by Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection, some 60 nautical miles from Pandaquit, Zambales at 3 p.m. yesterday.
“This indicates that CCG-3103 is likely serving as a replacement vessel for the monster ship, thereby sustaining its illegal presence within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone,” said Tarriela.
Tarriela said a PCG Islander plane confirmed the presence of CCG 3301 which he said was “operating in the vicinity previously occupied by the monster ship.”
He also said BRP Cabra headed “towards the location of CCG-3103 to monitor and challenge its presence.”
On Tuesday night, Tarriela said in statement said BRP Cabra “has maintained its vigilant monitoring of the illegal presence of the China Coast Guard vessel 5901 which continues to operate 60-70 nautical miles from the coastline of Zambales for the fourth consecutive day,”
The Chinese ship, as of 5 p.m. yesterday, was some 58 nautical miles off Capones Point or 72 nautical miles east of Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc,
China gained control of the shoal in 2012 after a standoff with Philippine government vessels. Since then, the Chinese have prevented Filipinos from fishing inside the shoal’s lagoon.
BRP Cabra, as in the past days, subjected the Chinese vessel to radio challenges and told the Chinese ship to “depart immediately.”
“Despite the PCG’s efforts to address the illegal presence of the CCG vessel through measured law enforcement operations, the People’s Republic of China has provocatively deployed a People’s Liberation Army-Navy helicopter, tail number 47, which hovered above the PCG vessel,” Tarriela said.
Following the Monday incident, Tarriela said PCG commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan issued a “clear guidance to remain unthreatened and to refrain from actions that could escalate tensions.”
