A PHILIPPINE Coast Guard (PCG) vessel has successful prevented a Chinese ship from getting close to a Zambales coastline.
In a report on Tuesday, the PCG said its vessel, BRP Cabra, deterred the Chinese intruder from approaching Zambales.
“Despite its smaller size, the BRP Cabra has effectively maintained a distance of 78 to 85 nautical miles between the Chinese vessel and the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ),” PCG spokesman for West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela said.
He said the BRP Cabra “confronted Lan Hai 101, reputedly one of China’s two largest fishery research ships, which was operating approximately 25 nautical miles off the coast of Pangasinan.
“The BRP Cabra has asserted that the activities of the Chinese vessel fall within the Philippines’ EEZ, constituting violations of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” Tarriela said.
“The PCG remains resolute in its commitment to addressing the unlawful presence of Chinese maritime forces. We will not allow any alterations to the status quo through encroachment on Luzon’s coastline,” the PCG stated.
The Lan Hai 101 was spotted within the country’s archipelagic waters this week and was also monitored by Philippine Navy stations in Balabac, Palawan.
“They responded. They gave their last port of call, their next port of call, the skipper’s name, 56 crew members, and they were passing through our archipelagic sea lanes because of the inclement weather in the western part of Palawan,” Navy spokesman for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said.