China Coast Guard (CCG) mighty vessel 5901—dubbed as ‘The Monster’—departed the Zambales coastline over the weekend, but it was relieved by another CCG ship, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported.
In a status update posted late Sunday evening, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela said CCG-5901 left at approximately 3:00 p.m. and was replaced by CCG-3304—a smaller unit, but still outweighs all PCG vessels.
“As of 9 PM, CCG-5901 was monitored at an approximate distance of 95 nautical miles from the coast of Zambales, with CCG-3304 at 65 nautical miles,” Tarriela said. China’s replacement ship is 111 meters long and 46 meters wide.
Despite its size, Tarriela said PCG’s 83-meter offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang “continues to diligently fulfill its patriotic mission of challenging the unlawful presence of the Chinese Coast Guard.”
The PCG official emphasized they have been conducting hourly radio challenges to remind the Chinese crew that their operations within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) are illegal.
The CCG actions breach the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which China is a signatory, and blatantly violate the 2016 Arbitral Award—a legally binding ruling that nullified their nine-dash line claim.
Tarriela also said that imposing a deadline or an ultimatum for China to remove its “monster ship” near the Zambales coastline is “beyond” the PCG’s mandate.
“In regard to the PCG’s mission, our role is to monitor and actively challenge the illegal presence of the Chinese Coast Guard for them not to normalize such unlawful patrol within our EEZ,” Tarriela told reporters in a Viber message on Sunday.
The PCG has been monitoring the intrusive movements of Chinese vessels within the Philippines’ maritime zones since the agency confirmed the monster ship’s presence in the area last January 4, 2025.