BRP Teresa Magbanua successfully drove Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5901, also known as the ‘monster ship,’ further away from the Zambales coastline, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
In his latest status update, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela said CCG-5901 is currently located about 117 nautical miles from the coastline within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“The China Coast Guard monster ship, initially spotted 54 nautical miles from shore, has now been pushed back to approximately 120 nautical miles, due to the vigilance and professionalism of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels,” Tarriela said.
The monster ship replaced CCG-3304, which was also pushed back by Teresa Magbanua.
“The PCG is committed to preventing the normalization of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) illegal deployment of maritime forces in the region,” Tarriela said. He noted that CCG vessels have been roaming in Philippine waters for 30 consecutive days now.
Earlier, PCG monitored two CCG vessels about 34 nautical miles off the coast of Pangasinan.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including areas that are within the Philippines’ EEZ, despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling in the Hague that declared it illegal. The Philippines’ actions are backed by the said decision.