China replaces 'monster ship' off Zambales, says PCG

MANILA, Philippines — China's largest Coast Guard vessel has begun to sail away from the waters off Zambales after loitering there for four days, only to be replaced by another Chinese ship in what authorities call a calculated move to maintain Beijing's illegal presence in the area.

The Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5901 — known as the "monster ship" for being the world's biggest Coast Guard vessel — moved farther away from the Zambales coastline on Wednesday, January 8, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The vessel was last seen 90 nautical miles from the shoreline after spending four days within up to 60 nautical miles of it. 

Within hours of its departure, another Chinese vessel appears to have taken its place. At 3 p.m. today, the PCG spotted CCG-3103, which had left China's Guangdong Province a day earlier, positioning itself 60 nautical miles from Pandaquit, Zambales — around the same area the monster ship had just vacated.

"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," PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela said.

PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan deployed the PCG Islander aircraft to confirm CCG-3103's presence, which the Coast Guard first detected using Canada's dark vessel tracker. PCG vessel BRP Cabra is now heading to the area to "monitor and challenge its presence," the PCG said.

Both positions of the Chinese vessels fall within the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, which gives Manila sovereign rights over the waters. 

PCG vessels sent to monitor the ship's activities have repeatedly issued radio challenges to ask the vessel to sail out of the West Philippine Sea. Clips of these radio challenges show PCG personnel citing the 2016 arbitral award, UNCLOS and the recently passed Philippine Maritime Zones Law.

The PCG said yesterday that China had deployed a military helicopter to hover above a PCG vessel during one of these monitoring activities. This prompted Gavan to direct his personnel to "remain unthreatened and to refrain from actions that could escalate tensions," according to the PCG's statement on Tuesday, January 7.

Malacañang yesterday expressed concern over the presence of the 12,000-ton Chinese vessel. Without detailing the Philippines' response, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the "issue here is about projection."

While foreign vessels are allowed to pass through the Philippines' EEZ, the PCG on Monday explained that CCG 5901's "erratic movements" indicate that it is not there for “innocent passage.”

The presence of China's monster ship comes a month after the December 4 incident where, for the first time, two Chinese warships (People's Liberation Army Navy vessels) blocked and shadowed a PCG vessel at Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc). 

Beijing has continued to press its claims to almost the entire South China Sea despite an international tribunal ruling in 2016 that nullified its claim of historic rights over the waters.