Expert cites ‘intrusive patrol’ near Scarborough
The biggest China Coast Guard vessel, identified as CCG 5901 and dubbed “The Monster,” encroached closer to the Philippines’ main island of Luzon as it continued with its “intrusive patrol” further east of Scarborough Shoal, maritime expert Roy Powell said on Saturday.
According to tracking data Powel shared on X, the 12,000-ton vessel was spotted “just 50 nautical miles” from the Luzon coastline.
Scarborough Shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal, is a traditional fishing ground located within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Powell first tracked the vessel within the area on January 1.
The Philippine Navy, however, said they have not monitored the CCG presence on the first day of the year.
“We did not detect any such vessel on January 1 in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc,” Navy spokesperson for West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said on Friday.
Powell’s tracking data showed three additional Coast Guard vessels – CCG 3106, 3302, and 3305 – and seven militia ships in the area.
Despite a 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling rejecting China’s expansive claims in the region, Beijing’s incursions into Philippine sovereign waters have continued.
Powell’s report came days after the recovery of a suspected Chinese submarine drone, marked “HY-119,” by fishermen off the coast of San Pascual, Masbate.
Powell said the torpedo-shaped drone, measuring two meters long with fins, might have been conducting seabed mapping for future submarine deployments.
“If this is a Chinese drone, as seems likely, it indicates a troubling level of Chinese interest in the Philippines’ internal archipelagic waters,” he said.
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the Philippine Navy is now investigating the drone recovery “to determine its origin and purpose.”
“The AFP is fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of our maritime domain, with all necessary resources mobilized to address similar and other situations with the utmost diligence,” he said.
